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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
India and Nepal share a "special" relationship and there is an opportunity to "decisively" shift the engagement to realise its full potential, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday during a meeting with his Nepalese counterpart Shishir Khanal. Jaishankar reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "sentiment regarding India's commitment to working with Nepal for mutual prosperity, progress and well-being of the two countries". 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. In his comments at the meeting with Jaishankar, Khanal said Nepal accords "highest priority" to its relationship with India and the Shah-led government is ready to engage "substantively and purposefully" with New Delhi. "We carry no old baggage and have only firm resolve for a genuinely transformative ..
Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah has called for stronger cooperation among member states of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation to build economic opportunities and tackle climate change and natural disasters. In a statement issued on Saturday, he also stressed enhancing connectivity in transport, trade and digital networks to foster deeper integration of economies. The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional organisation that focuses on economic growth, technological collaboration and connectivity among countries dependent on or adjacent to the Bay of Bengal. It has seven members -- Bangladesh, Thailand, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, Bhutan and Myanmar. On the occasion of the 29th anniversary of BIMSTEC, the statement issued by Nepal's Foreign Office said, "He (Balendra Shah) underscored the importance of enhancing connectivity in transport, trade and digital networks to foster
Nepal is India's priority partner and New Delhi is looking forward to collaborating with the new government in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after the chairman of Nepal's Rastriya Swatantra Party, Rabi Lamichhane, met him on Wednesday. In a post on 'X', the prime minister said he was delighted to meet Lamichhane. "I welcome and fully share his desire to work closely together for a shared and prosperous future. Nepal is a priority partner under our Neighbourhood First policy and we look forward to collaborating with the new government to elevate the special and multifaceted relationship between our two countries to greater heights," he said. A RSP delegation, led by Lamichhane, is on a visit to India following an invitation from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Nitin Nabin. It arrived in New Delhi on Monday afternoon.
India and Nepal have drafted a roadmap for collaboration in areas of flood control and irrigation, as senior officials of the two sides met here and comprehensively reviewed bilateral water-sector cooperation. The discussion took place at the two-day 11th meeting of the India-Nepal Joint Committee on Kosi and Gandak Projects, which concluded in Kathmandu on Friday. The Indian delegation was led by Santosh Kumar Mall, Principal Secretary, Water Resources Department, Government of Bihar, and the Nepalese delegation was led by Mitra Baral, Director General, Department of Irrigation, according to a press release issued by the Indian Embassy. The meeting comprehensively reviewed "India-Nepal cooperation in the Kosi and Gandak projects and drafted a future roadmap for further cooperation, including in the areas of flood control and irrigation," said the Indian Embassy. During the meeting, the Nepalese delegation agreed to remove encroachments from key Kosi and Gandak project areas, ...
Nepal Airlines on Thursday apologised for what it described as cartographic inaccuracies in the wake of a furore showing Jammu and Kashmir as part of Pakistan in a "network map". The airlines had deleted the social media post on Wednesday following the backlash. "We sincerely apologise for error in the network map recently shared on our social media channels. The map contained significant cartographic inaccuracies regarding international boundaries that do not reflect the official stance of Nepal or Nepal Airlines," it posted on X. "We have immediately removed the post and are conducting an internal review to ensure our materials meet the highest standards of accuracy. "We deeply value our strong relationships with our neighbours and friends in the region and regret any offense the post has caused," the airline added.
Amid reports that Nepal may soon impose customs duty on goods carried by people travelling from India to that country, the MEA on Thursday said New Delhi remains engaged with Kathmandu on this development. Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, said this in response to a query during his weekly media briefing here. "We've also seen some reports about enforcement by Nepalese authorities of pre-existing provision that outlines collection of customs duty from cross-border travellers in case they carry items which are purchased in India of course, and which have a value of over 100 Nepali rupees," he said. "We understand that the government of Nepal has taken this step primarily with the intent to curb informal trade and smuggling. We have also seen a statement by a senior Nepalese official stating that civilians carrying personal goods or household goods will not be obstructed. We remain engaged on these developments," Jaiswal said. He was asked about multi
Nepal has recalled its ambassadors from six countries, including India, who were appointed by the previous K P Sharma Oli-led government. The government has recalled ambassadors serving in India, Australia, Sri Lanka, Denmark, South Korea and South Africa through a cabinet decision, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lok Bahadur Chhetri said. Those recalled include Shankar Prasad Sharma (India), Chitralekha Yadav (Australia), Sumnima Tuladhar (Denmark), Purna Bahadur Nepali (Sri Lanka), Shivamaya Tumbahamphe (South Korea) and Kapilman Shrestha (South Africa). According to the Foreign Ministry, letters have been issued on Monday directing the envoys to return within a month. Earlier, the caretaker government led by interim prime minister Sushila Karki had recalled 11 of the 17 ambassadors appointed on political quota by the Oli administration. Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah was sworn in as Nepal's prime minister last month, nearly six months after the dramatic collapse of the Ol
Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah 'Balen,' took oath as Nepal's democratically elected prime minister on Friday, around six months after the K P Sharma Oli-led government was ousted in a Gen-Z protest that shook the nation. The 35-year-old Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) leader was sworn in at a ceremony at the President's Office in Sheetal Niwas at the auspicious time of 12.34 pm. Balen, also an engineer, is the youngest person to assume the office in the Himalayan nation, and also the first person from the Madhes region to hold the top executive post. He was appointed as the 47th prime minister by President Ram Chandra Paudel in accordance with Article 76 (1) of the constitution earlier in the day. He is the first democratically elected prime minister to be sworn in since the coalition government led by former prime minister Oli was ousted in September last year, after the youth-led Gen Z protest against corruption, nepotism, and a social media ban escalated into violence. A
Rastriya Swatantra Party's (RSP) prime ministerial candidate Balendra Shah on Tuesday expressed confidence in further deepening "historic" Nepal-India ties and making them more "outcome-oriented". The 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician is all set to become Nepal's first Madhesi prime minister and also the Himalayan nation's youngest elected executive head. Shah made the remarks in a social media post while thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his wishes on the party's electoral success. "Thank you for the good wishes honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji," he said in the post. "I express my confidence that we will work together to further strengthen, deepen and make more outcome-oriented the historic, close, and multi-dimensional relations existing between Nepal and India in the coming days," he said. The RSP, formed in 2022, has won 125 of the 165 seats under direct voting in Nepal's parliamentary polls as vote counting under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system ...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke to leaders of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) of Nepal Rabi Lamichhane and Balendra Shah and congratulated them for their election victory and conveyed India's commitment to work with them for mutual prosperity, progress and well-being of the two countries. In his telephonic conversations with the two leaders of Nepal, PM Modi said he was confident that with the joint endeavours, India-Nepal relations will scale new heights in the coming years. "Had warm telephone conversations with Mr. Rabi Lamichhane, Chairman of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and Mr. Balendra Shah, Senior Leader of the RSP," he said in a post on 'X'. The prime minister said he congratulated both leaders on their electoral victories and RSP's resounding success in the Nepal elections. "Conveyed my best wishes for their forthcoming new Government and India's commitment to work with them for mutual prosperity, progress and well-being of our two countries," he ...