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The death toll from the devastating flash flood in Nepal rose to 987 on Tuesday, with security forces recovering more bodies from different parts of the country, officials said. The authorities estimate that 3,916 people, including 583 foreigners, remain unaccounted for as security personnel, including those from the Nepal Army, intensify search and rescue operations in the affected areas. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), 321 bodies were recovered from Chitwan, 216 from Nawalparasi East, 170 from Nawalparasi West and 95 from Nuwakot. Similarly, 65 bodies were recovered from Gorkha, 55 from Dhading, 38 from Tanahun and 27 from Rasuwa. The flash flood has affected eight districts, the NDRRMA said, adding that of the 279 people injured, 168 have been discharged from various hospitals after treatment.
Three Indian nationals were among four people rescued by the Nepali Army from Chilime village in flood-hit Rasuwa district, Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava said on Monday. The development comes as India continues to assist Nepal in rescue and relief operations following the devastating flash floods that swept through northern and central parts of the country on August 26. The death toll from the disaster crossed 900 on Monday, while over 4000 people remained missing, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA). "Met 3 Indian nationals and their Nepali colleague, who were rescued by Nepali Army from Chilime village, that was badly affected by flash floods in #Rasuwa. We thank the Nepali army for their help." Srivastava said in a post on X. The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu is facilitating their return to India, he said. India has also deployed specialised teams to assist Nepal in rescue operations and the identification of victims
Over 275 Indians remained missing while 108 others were rescued following the devastating flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border four days back, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Saturday. It said 128 persons of Indian origin have also been uncontactable. The MEA said that 598 Indian nationals have safely crossed over Nepal from China in the last two days, while around 900 Indians are still on the Chinese side but are "safe and contactable". Late in the night, New Delhi sent a fourth tranche of 11 tonnes of relief materials to Nepal on board a C-130J military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the aircraft also carried a technical contingent along with equipment for search and rescue operations as well as a team of forensic experts for DNA analysis along with forensic equipment. The forensic team will help Nepalese authorities in identifying mortal remains of those killed in Wednesday's flash floods. Additionall
The Nepal flash floods have disrupted cross-border trade between India and the neighbouring country, with the movement of goods vehicles to Kathmandu and other parts of Nepal via Maharajganj in Uttar Pradesh, affected by damaged and flooded roads. A queue of around 16 km of cargo vehicles has formed on the Indian side of the Sonauli border in Maharajganj as trucks wait to enter Nepal. Besides vehicles bound for Kathmandu, cargo trucks heading to other parts of Nepal are also facing delays as traffic movement on several routes remains affected. The queue has extended towards Nautanwa, raising concerns over traffic movement on the national highway. Security agencies and police personnel are monitoring the situation and regulating the movement of vehicles. Circle Officer Basant Singh said, "Surveillance at the Sonauli border has been intensified, and police station heads in the border areas have been directed to remain alert." Officials warned that the situation could worsen if road
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday spoke to his Nepalese counterpart Balendra Shah and conveyed condolences on the loss of lives due to the floods there and told him that India is ready to provide all possible humanitarian assistance to the neighbouring country. Modi also said that people of India stand in solidarity with their sisters and brothers in Nepal at this difficult time. A sudden, massive flood swept through two central Nepal districts bordering Tibet killing four people, causing extensive devastation at settlements along the river and damaging at least a dozen hydropower projects early Wednesday. The flood surged through the Bhote Koshi river at around 9 am (local time) coming from the Tibet side affecting Rasuwa and Dhading districts bordering Tibet and Nuwakot district, southwest of Kathmandu, officials said. In a post on 'X', Modi said, "Spoke to Prime Minister Balendra Shah and conveyed condolences on the loss of lives due to the floods in Nepal. The people of
Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Saturday extended greetings and best wishes to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and the people of India on the occasion of the country's 80th Independence Day. Shah's message comes amid Nepal's efforts to strengthen ties with India, with the Himalayan nation seeking greater economic cooperation and connectivity with its immediate neighbour. "On the occasion of India's 80th Independence Day, I extend my heartfelt greetings and best wishes to PM @narendramodi and the friendly people and Government of India," Shah's office said in a post on X. Shah's message also comes days after he held his first one-on-one meeting with Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava on August 10, after having largely avoided such engagements with foreign diplomats since taking office. "May the deep historical ties, close people-to-people relations and cooperation between Nepal and India continue to strengthen in the years ahead," Shah said on Saturday. Nepal .
Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Monday held his first one-on-one meeting with Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava and emphasised the need to deepen the country's "historic relationship" with India. Shah met Srivastava at the Prime Minister's Office in Singha Durbar. The meeting covered Nepal-India bilateral relations, mutual interests, development partnership and areas of cooperation, according to the prime minister's secretariat. Srivastava congratulated Shah and expressed his commitment to further strengthening relations and cooperation between the two countries. "Honoured to call on Rt. Hon. Prime Minister of Nepal (@ShahBalen) this morning. Conveyed warm greetings from Prime Minister Modi ji (@narendramodi). Had an engaging and productive exchange of views on further deepening robust, multifaceted India-Nepal partnership," Ambassador Srivastava posted on X. Shah emphasised the need to deepen Nepal's "historic relationship" with India and work together in areas of shared .
Prime Minister Balendra Shah 'Balen' is set to hold separate bilateral meetings focussing on bilateral relations with the Indian and Chinese ambassadors to Nepal on Monday, the first such one-on-one diplomatic engagements after more than 100 days in office. After meeting the Indian envoy first, followed by the Chinese counterpart, Shah will also meet with the US Embassy Charge d'Affaires on Tuesday. In a departure from a long tradition of individual meetings, Shah, who was sworn-in on March 27 after a landslide win, held a joint courtesy meeting on April 8 with as many as 17 Kathmandu-based Ambassadors and Heads of Diplomatic Missions, including those from India and China, at Singhadurbar, the prime minister's office. On Sunday, Foreign Ministry sources said Shah will meet Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava on Monday morning and Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming later that afternoon. It will be followed by a meeting with the US Embassy Charge d'Affaires Scott Urbom on Tuesday and .
Nepal has permitted Indian and Nepalese nationals to bring into or take out of the country Indian currency notes of Rs 200 and Rs 500 denominations up to a value of Rs 25,000, provided those were issued on or after November 9, 2016. The Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), in a notice issued on Thursday, said Indian currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations issued before November 9, 2016, remain prohibited in Nepal. However, Indian currency notes of Rs 200 and Rs 500 issued after November 9, 2016, can be carried, brought into or taken out of Nepal by Nepali or Indian citizens up to a limit of INR 25,000 per person, in accordance with prevailing regulations, it said. Though the provisions were already notified by NRB through a notice published in the Nepal Gazette on February 11, the central bank on Thursday issued the fresh notice reiterating the regulations and clarifying its implementation. Clarifying the new rules, NRB spokesperson Guru Prasad Paudel said on Saturday that Nepalese
Nepal continues to send the largest number of students to India while Karnataka is the top destination receiving maximum foreign students, according to a Ministry of Education survey. The All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) for 2023-24 noted that India's higher education institutions attracted students from 173 countries in the 2023-24 academic year, with 58,134 foreign students enrolled across universities and colleges in the country. The AISHE collects detailed information from higher education institutions (HEIs) across the country through a web-based data capture format (DCF). Institutions upload data on student enrolment, faculty and staff, infrastructure, examination results, etc., on the AISHE portal. The survey serves as the primary source of official statistics on higher education in India, providing critical insights for policy formulation, planning and monitoring of the sector. In 2023-24, the highest share of foreign students came from Nepal (24.1 per cent), ..
India and Nepal have launched a peer-to-peer (P2P) cross-border remittance mechanism on June 6 to enhance convenience for travellers and businesses across both countries, the finance ministry said on Thursday. The newly operationalised system establishes a direct link between India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Nepal's National Payments Interface (NPI), and enables citizens of both nations to make real-time money transfers directly via mobile banking applications and digital wallets. "The UPI-NPI linkage represents a major advancement in financial inclusion, fostering stronger economic and digital ties between India and Nepal. This aligns perfectly with regional goals for accessible, safe, and affordable cross-border payments, reinforcing longstanding social and economic bonds," the ministry said in a statement. The technical integration was executed via collaboration between NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), the international arm of the National Payments ...
Nepal has restricted the import of mangoes from India due to the fruit allegedly containing excessive pesticides and a lack of quarantine facilities in the border areas, officials here said. As a result of the ban, the local markets are now filled with domestically grown mangoes. Mangoes are in high demand during the summer season. Officials said the government restricted the import of mangoes, which contained excessive pesticides, and due to a lack of quarantine facilities in the border areas, mainly the Madhesh province. The restriction on the import of mangoes from India has encouraged local farmers, as they do not have to compete with Indian fruits this season, said Ajaya Gyawali, information officer at the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives of Madhesh province. "It has promoted the local production, which is a positive development," he added. However, he said the domestic production may be insufficient to meet the demand for mangoes across the ...
Nepal Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal on Sunday described his three-day visit to India as "fruitful", asserting that concrete steps were taken towards enhancing bilateral ties. During Khanal's official visit to India from June 5-7, he held wide-ranging talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and also met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Talking to media persons upon arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport Sunday evening, Khanal said, "Fruitful discussions were held with Indian counterpart S Jaishankar on matters pertaining to mutual cooperation in different areas, diplomacy and border dispute." "The mechanisms of both countries are working towards resolving the existing border dispute between Nepal and India," he said, adding that the Himalayan nation clearly put forward its view that the issues related to the border could be resolved through diplomacy and the existing mechanisms. Before leaving for home, Khanal had said that Nepal wants to resolve its border .
Nepal wants to resolve its border dispute with India through existing bilateral mechanisms as "no problem is too large and complex" when both sides meet with an open heart, rational mind and mutual respect, Nepalese Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal said on Sunday, effectively endorsing New Delhi's rejection of any third-party involvement. Khanal said Kathmandu refuses to see New Delhi through the "distorted, hyper-sensitive lens" of 21st-century geopolitics and instead aims to look at India with "clear eyes and a single transparent agenda of economic transformation of Nepal". The Nepalese foreign minister was speaking to the media a day after holding wide-ranging talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar that focused on ways to further expand ties in diverse sectors, including trade, critical technology, connectivity and energy. His three-day trip to New Delhi from Friday came against the backdrop of a raging controversy triggered by Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah's recen
Nepal wants to resolve the border row with India through diplomacy as no problem is too large if both sides sit across with an "open heart", Nepalese Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal said on Sunday. Khanal said the new government in Kathmandu refuses to look at India through the "distorted, hyper-sensitive lens of 21st century geopolitics" and instead wants to build a mutually beneficial relationship for overall prosperity of both the nations. The Nepalese foreign minister's remarks at a media interaction came a day after he held wide-ranging talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Khanal kicked off a three-day trip to New Delhi on Friday to strengthen bilateral ties, a visit overshadowed by a raging controversy triggered by Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah's recent remarks on the boundary row between the two sides. No problem is too large and no boundary too complex when we sit down with an open heart, Khanal said "We look at India with an open heart, clear eyes, a