NB Bank staff protest

KATHMANDU: Employees at Nepal Bangladesh Bank (NB Bank) have launched protest programme demanding a permission to establish union. The employees are protesting the management’s denial of rights to union. Patan Appellate Court had given a verdict not to establish union in the bank last week. The employees went on work on Tuesday with a black strip tied on their arms, said Binaya Rijal, president of proposed NB Bank Employees Union. The union will gherao the managing director on Wednesday as a part of their protest programme. — HNS

Talking rural tourism

KATHMANDU: Participants of a programme emphasised the need to promote mountain tourism and attract more tourists to Nepali villages, thereby helping reduce rural poverty. At a talk programme on ‘Democracy and Rural Tourism’ jointly organised by Nepal Tourism Board and Village Tourism Promotion Forum on the occasion of Village Tourism Day, they said that since tourism can never prosper without peace and democracy, the tourism entrepreneurs and political leaders should pay attention on the establishment of lasting peace and consolidation of democracy in the country. — RSS

Maruti hikes prices

NEW DELHI: Maruti Udyog Ltd (hiked the prices of most models, except for the Swift, Zen, Baleno (Vxi) and WagonR (petrol) models, by Rs 500-5,000 Indian Currency (IC) with immediate effect. “The increase, which comes into effect from Tuesday, varies from 0.17 per cent to 1.47 per cent,” the company said, “The price increase is due to a rise in input costs and freight costs, following the rise in oil prices. In this phase, the company has decided to pass on only a part of the increase in costs to the customers.” — HNS