India Nepal Ties

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

In a post on X, Nepal PM's office said the PM was eager to work closely with PM Modi to advance the multifaceted relations between both countries

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

The Himalayan nation is looking to nearly double its contribution to India's grid to 1.1 gigawatts this summer, when high temperatures are expected to drive record demand

Balendra Shah's rise at 35 highlights a growing generational shift in politics even as South Asia and India remain dominated by older leaders

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 ...

The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is heading towards a two-thirds majority in Nepal's parliamentary polls, securing 124 seats under direct voting and nearly 40 lakh votes under the proportionate-voting system as of 7 am on Monday. The RSP has won 124 seats and is leading in one seat, whereas the Nepali Congress (NC) has won 17 seats and is leading in one seat. The CPN-UML has won eight seats and is leading in one seat and the NCP has won seven seats. The Shram Sanskriti Party has won three seats, the RPP and Independent candidates have won one seat each. So far, the results for 161 of the 165 seats have been declared under direct voting. The outcome on the remaining four seats is expected to be declared in the afternoon. Under proportionate voting, the RSP has secured 37,89,803 votes, the NC 12,75,594, the CPN-UML 10,79,726, the NCP 5,55,300, the Shram Sanskriti Party 2,65,398, the Janata Samajwadi Party 1,16,463 and the Rastriya Parivartan Party has bagged 1,08,084 votes. Nepal i

With Balen Shah's Rashtriya Swatantra Party heading for a landslide in Nepal's polls, New Delhi hopes a stable majority government will reset strained ties after the K P Sharma Oli era

Young voters say mandate for new leadership must translate into visible change, warning that promises alone will not address corruption, unemployment, weak public services, and political instability

Rastriya Swotantra Party is leading in 23 seats, while Nepali Congress and CPN-UML are leading in three each as per the preliminary election results. Vote counting started late on Thursday night, according to the Election Commission. Counting is expected to be completed by Friday night. Nepal witnessed about 60 per cent voter turnout during the elections to the House of Representatives on Thursday - the country's first polls since violent Gen Z protests that toppled the K P Sharma Oli-led coalition government last year.

The India-Nepal border will remain closed from midnight of March 2 to midnight of 5 in view of the general elections scheduled in Nepal on March 5, officials said on Friday. Sudhir Sharma, in-charge of the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Rupaidiha, Bahraich, told PTI that Nepal's Ministry of Home Affairs has issued an official communication dated February 26 regarding the closure. According to the letter, all border outposts along the entire stretch of Banke district adjoining India will remain closed from 12 am on the intervening night of March 2 and 3 till 12 am on March 5 to ensure that the election process is conducted in a free, fair, fearless and credible environment. Sharma said that import and export of goods through the ICP would remain suspended during the period, but movement of essential medicines and other critical commodities will not be stopped. Commandant Ganga Singh Udawat of the 42nd Battalion of Sashastra Seema Bal said instructions have been issued to enforce ...

Hundreds of supporters gathered at the airport here on Friday, calling for the monarchy's restoration as Nepal's former King Gyanendra Shah arrived amidst tight security. "We want King Gyanendra back to save our nation," the loyalists chanted, carrying placards as the former monarch landed at the Kathmandu airport. The activists gathered at the airport despite the Kathmandu District Administration Office's prohibitory orders banning gatherings of more than five people in and around the Tribhuvan International Airport area. Nepal abolished monarchy in 2008, but pro-monarchy demonstrations resurfaced last year amid economic distress and political instability. There was a heavy deployment of security personnel in the surrounding area of the airport. Cadres of pro-monarchist Rastriya Prajatantra Party, led by senior leader Kamal Thapa, and various other loyalist groups led by Navaraj Subedi and medical professional Durga Prasai, had gathered at the airport area since Friday ...

Nepal has eased restrictions on carrying high-denomination Indian currency in the Himalayan nation, ending a decade-long ban, according to an official statement. Individuals can hold Indian banknotes of Rs 200 and Rs 500 up to a maximum limit of INR 25,000 per person. The decision was made during Monday's cabinet meeting, according to cabinet sources. Under the revised provision, both Nepali and Indian citizens may bring the higher denomination bank notes into Nepal from India or carry them from Nepal to India. The Cabinet decision on Monday follows amendments by the Reserve Bank of India to the Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Currency) Regulations, 2015. The amendment permits Indian, Nepali and Bhutanese nationals to carry higher-denomination Indian currency while travelling to and from India. According to Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) spokesperson Guru Prasad Paudel, once the government decision is published in Nepal gazette, NRB will issue a circular to this effect

Nearly 10 years after high-denomination notes were banned, Nepal plans to allow Indian notes above ₹100, easing travel for workers, students, pilgrims and tourists, and smoothing trade

Nepal's central bank on Thursday issued new Rs 100 denomination bank notes that have a revised map of the country, including the controversial Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura territories, termed as artificial enlargement by India. The new note from the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) bears the signature of previous Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari. The date of issuance of the bank note is mentioned as 2081 BS, which denotes the previous year, 2024. During the Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli-led government, Nepal had updated the map, comprising Kalapani, Lipulek and Limpiyadhura territories, through a Parliament endorsement in May 2020. Clarifying the matter regarding the updated version of map, an NRB spokesperson said that the map is already there in the old Rs 100 bank note and it has been revised as per the government's decision. Among various denominations of bank notes such as Rs 10, Rs 50, Rs 500, and Rs 1,000, only the bank note with Rs 100 denomination bears the map of Nepal, others

Heads of the security forces of India and Nepal will hold their annual border talks here from Wednesday over a host of issues related to curbing trans-frontier crimes and sharing of real-time intelligence inputs. This will be the first time that the two forces -- Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the Armed Police Force (APF) of Nepal -- will have a top-level meeting after the 'Gen Z' driven violent protests that rocked Kathmandu in September. The 9th annual coordination meeting will be held between November 12-14, an official statement said. The Indian side will be led by SSB Director General (DG) Sanjay Singhal, while the Nepalese delegation is headed by APF Inspector General (IG) Raju Aryal. The deliberations are expected to lay "special emphasis" on developing effective mechanisms for joint prevention of trans-border crimes, establishing faster and more efficient channels for real-time information sharing and reinforcing coordinated border management practices to ensure peace and .