KATHMANDU: National Sports Council Member Secretary Keshab Kumar Bista said the NSC Board Meeting to be held after Tihar festival would announce the new dates for the seventh National Games. At a programme organised to welcome newly-appointed Youth and Sports Minister Satya Narayan Mandal, Bista said the preparation of the Games fell behind schedule because of the lack of budget. “We will decide about the dates in our next board meeting,” he said. “But I assure that the Games will be held in Eastern Region as decided earlier,” Bista added. The NSC has not announced the postponement of the Games so far. Minister Mandal said the Games would not be cancelled because of the budget. “I will talk with Prime Minister and Finance Minister about the Games. It is a separate matter if it gets cancelled because of political reasons,” he added. MoYS Secretary Dipendra Nath Sharma stressed on the need of eliminating nepotism from sports sector.