Nepal to introduce banknotes featuring disputed territories with India

On May 3, Nepal's cabinet, under then-Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', decided to print new banknotes featuring a map that includes disputed territories as part of Nepal

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Nepal's central bank is set to introduce new banknotes featuring a revised map that includes territories disputed with India. The Nepal Rastra Bank is advancing the process of printing these updated banknotes, which will display the areas of Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura as part of Nepal's territory.

This information was confirmed by Dilliram Pokharel, the bank’s joint spokesperson, in a report from the online news portal Nepalkhabar.com.

The bank has initiated the procedure for printing these new notes, with Pokharel noting that the entire process is expected to be completed within six months to a year.

Disputed regions

The decision to update the banknotes stems from a cabinet directive issued on May 3, under the leadership of then-Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'. This directive mandated the production of new currency featuring the revised map that integrates the disputed regions as part of Nepal. The revised map, which includes the territories of Lipulekh, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura, was first introduced by the Nepalese government under K P Sharma Oli in May 2020. This new map was formally endorsed by the Nepalese Parliament and replaced the previous version used in official documents, despite strong objections from India.

India continues to assert its claim over Lipulekh, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura, maintaining that these areas rightfully belong to it. The ongoing territorial dispute has been a point of contention between the two neighbouring countries.

Nepal shares a border of over 1,850 kilometres with five Indian states, namely Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. The border region is thus a significant area of geopolitical and economic interaction, making the updated map on Nepalese currency a notable development in the broader context of bilateral relations between Nepal and India.

(With PTI inputs)