Page 8 - India Nepal Ties

EAM Jaishankar arrives in Nepal on two-day visit; to meet top leadership

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived here on Thursday on a two-day visit to co-chair with his Nepalese counterpart the seventh Nepal-India Joint Commission meeting here on Thursday and Friday during which they will review the overall state of bilateral ties. It is Jaishankar's first foreign trip in 2024. Jaishankar will co-chair a meeting of the India-Nepal Joint Commission along with his Nepalese counterpart N P Saud. The India-Nepal Joint Commission was established in 1987 and provides a platform for both sides to review all aspects of the bilateral partnership. "Nepal is a priority partner of India under its 'Neighbourhood First' Policy. The visit is in keeping with the tradition of high-level exchanges between two close and friendly neighbours," the Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi. During the Joint Commission meeting, the entire gamut of Nepal-India relations will be reviewed, according to Nepal's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Amrit Bahadur Rai. "The

EAM to co-chair India-Nepal Joint Commission meet in Kathmandu on 4 Jan

Established in 1987, the India-Nepal Joint Commission provides a platform for both ministers to review all aspects of the bilateral partnership

Nepal's 2023: High-level meetings with Indian, Chinese leaderships & quakes

After experiencing a turbulent 2022, Nepal witnessed much-needed political stability this year that enabled Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda' to focus on improving relations with its two important neighbours India and China even as he faced the regular staple of Himalayan problems - earthquakes, corruption scandals, and air crashes. After becoming Prime Minister in December 2022, Prachanda secured the vote of confidence from the House of Representatives on January 10 ending the political impasse amid a power tussle among Nepali political parties with the third largest party CPN-Maoist Centre gaining power and garnering support from the largest party Nepali Congress. However, Nepal's second-largest party in Parliament, the CPN-UML, on February 27 withdrew its support to the Prachanda-led government following a rift over backing the main opposition party's candidate for the presidential poll. It has had no significant impact on the government. On March 9, Nepal's Parliame

India-Nepal border under tight vigil ahead of PM Modi's Ayodhya visit

The state police and the Sashastra Seema Bal along with intelligence agencies have increased vigil on the India-Nepal border in view of the arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ayodhya, officials said on Wednesday. The tight watch is being maintained on the porous border of India-Nepal ahead of Modi's arrival for the inauguration of Shri Ram Airport in Ayodhya on 30 December. The grand Ram Temple is slated for inauguration on January 22. "To prevent the movement of unwanted elements in the area, the security agencies have been asked to ascertain the identities of people before allowing them to cross over through the border," Deputy Inspector General, Sashastra Seema Bal, Gorakhpur, Akhileshvar Singh said. "Cameras have been put on SSB posts besides the main roads. Dog squads and one platoon of women wing have also been deployed. Metal detectors have been installed at Sonauli and Thuthibari outposts on the Indo-Nepal border," Singh said. In addition to this, security agencies

India-Nepal digital payment gateway likely to start from Feb: Indian Envoy

Ambassador Srivastava made the announcement referring to the agreement between NPCI and NCHL, which was signed during the visit of Nepali PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal to India earlier this year

India, Nepal to ink key power deal during Jaishankar's trip: PM Prachanda

India and Nepal will ink a long-term power deal during the visit of Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in the first week of January, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda said on Friday. Speaking during the inauguration of the Inaruwa substation of Nepal Electricity Authority, Prachanda said that Nepal is doing extremely well in the sector of power generation. A long-term agreement between Nepal and India will be reached during the upcoming visit of Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to Nepal in the first week of January, Prachanda said. The power deal, once signed between the two neighbouring nations, will come nearly six months after Prachanda's visit to India when the two countries agreed in principle that India would import 10,000 megawatts of hydroelectricity from Nepal in the next 10 years. However, a formal agreement to this effect is yet to be signed. Nepal has been focusing on its hydroelectricity generating capacity for some time and has read

India lays foundation stone for community development projects in Nepal

While addressing the event, Narayan Khadka appreciated the continued developmental support of the Government of India in upliftment of the people of Nepal in its priority sectors

Centre permits export of 20 MT of non-basmati rice to earthquake-hit Nepal

The government has provided a one-time exemption from the export ban to Indian Rice Exporters Federation for shipping 20 metric tonnes (MT) of non-basmati white rice as a donation to Nepal for earthquake-affected people. Last month, the government provided a similar exemption to Patanjali Ayurved. Though exports of non-basmati white rice were banned on July 20 to boost domestic supply, exports are allowed on the basis of permission granted by the government to certain countries to meet their food security needs and on request. "One time exemption from prohibition is granted to Indian Rice Exporters Federation for exports of 20 MT of non-basmati white rice (semi-milled or wholly milled rice, whether or not polished or glazed)...as donation to Nepal earthquake victims," the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) said in a notification. In a separate DGFT notification, the government permitted exports of 2.40 lakh tonnes of non-basmati white rice to five countries, including ...

India and Nepal hold Projects Portfolio Performance Review meeting

During the meeting, discussions were held on ongoing projects in various sectors under the India-Nepal development cooperation framework both under grant assistance and under various lines of credit

India sends over 9 tonnes of relief material to Nepal after earthquake

On Sunday, India sent an emergency aid package, comprising medical equipment, relief materials and more, for people affected by the magnitude 6.4 earthquake in Nepal

Relief materials given by India dispatched to Nepal's quake-affected areas

Two truck-loads of emergency relief materials provided by India to Nepal were dispatched on Monday along with a team of security persons towards the northwest mountainous region where people are facing a shortage of food, clothes and medicines following a strong earthquake over the weekend. Nepal was jolted by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake just before midnight on November 3 that killed 157 people and injured over 250 others. The earthquake, which hit Jajarkot and Rukum West districts in western Nepal, also damaged around 8,000 houses, both public and private, according to officials. Chief District Officer (CDO) of Banke, Shrawan Kumar Pokharel, said the relief goods were sent towards the disaster-affected areas from Nepalgunj Airport and escorted by personnel from the Armed Police Force Nepal. Pokharel said a truckload of relief goods is for Jajarkot and the other for Rukum Paschim (West) relief materials will be handed over to the chief district officers of the respective districts.

India-Nepal border forces hold annual talks, discuss 'mutual issues'

A nine-member delegation led by Raju Aryal attended the first day of the meeting being held at the SSB Headquarters

India sends medicines, other relief materials to earthquake-hit Nepal

The first consignment of Rs 10 crore worth of emergency relief materials arrived at Nepalgunj, Nepal, on Sunday, the Indian Embassy in Nepal informed through an official release

India-Nepal border guarding forces' talks to begin in Delhi tomorrow

Border guarding forces of India and Nepal will hold a three-day bilateral meeting here from Monday and discuss measures to curb trans-frontier crimes and timely sharing of intelligence inputs, an official said. The seventh edition of the annual coordination talks between the two countries is led by India's Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) director general Rashmi Shukla and the visiting inspector general of the Armed Police Force (APF) of Nepal, Raju Aryal. The meeting will be in Delhi from November 6 to 8, the official said on Sunday "The talks at the level of two heads of the forces serve as a crucial platform for both forces to engage in discussions on border-related matters," an official statement said. "The SSB and APF delegations aim to strengthen the coordination between the two border guarding forces for more effective management of the open and unfenced India-Nepal border," it said. The "focus" of the meeting shall be on the development of effective mechanisms to collaboratively

After export ban, smuggling of rice booms along the Indo-Nepal border

At the crack of dawn every day, hushed frantic activity begins in villages located along the India-Nepal border here as some residents set out on foot or in small vehicles to smuggle rice into the neighbouring country. Young unemployed men, women and sometimes even the elderly act as carriers for local smugglers and are paid up to Rs 300 for delivering a quintal of rice to warehouses set up across the border by Nepali traders. Most of them make multiple trips to earn as much money as possible. Lakshminagar, Thoothibari, Nichlaul, Parsa Malik, Bargadwa, Bhagwanpur, Shyam Kat, Farenia, Hardi Dali and Khanuva are some of the villages from where it is very easy to cross into Nepal and rice is smuggled, police sources said. Maharajganj shares an 84-km open border with Nawalparasi and Rupandehi districts of Nepal's Lumbini province. Ram Prasad, a rice carrier, said, "The Nepali merchants have set up small warehouses along the border where we deliver the smuggled rice. The warehouses are

India allows Nepal to sell electricity in its real-time energy market

India has allowed Nepal to sell electricity generated through two hydropower projects in its real-time energy market starting Saturday midnight, according to the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA). It is for the first time that India granted project-wise approval ensuring that Nepal could sell hydroelectricity in India's Real-Time Market (RTM). The Central Electricity Authority of India has allowed the trading of 44 MW of electricity generated from the 19.4 MW Lower Modi and 24.25 MW Kabeli B-1 hydropower projects in the real-time market in the first phase, according to Suresh Bahadur Bhattarai, the spokesperson at the NEA. Bhattarai said approval had been received for the sale of electricity from two projects in both the day-ahead and the real-time markets. Earlier, we had to wait for a day for the import and export of electricity, said Bhattarai. "Now we can trade by bidding just one hour and fifteen minutes before the sale. Now we can buy or sell power in case of a sudden shutdo

India, Nepal development partnership gaining momentum: Embassy in Kathmandu

The Indian Embassy in Nepal on Saturday said the India-Nepal development partnership has gathered further momentum

Ahead of festive season, Nepal to import 20,000 MT of sugar from India

Nepal government is set to import 20,000 metric tonnes (MT) of sugar from India ahead of the upcoming festivals, including Vijaya Dashami and Deepawali to meet the domestic demand. Although Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies has asked the Finance Ministry to give customs waiver for importing 60,000 MT of sugar to meet the local demand, the Finance Ministry has given permission to import only 20,000 MT for the time being. According to Finance Ministry spokesperson, Dhaniram Sharma, the Ministry has given 50 per cent discount on customs duty, which means 15 per cent less from the earlier imposed 30 per cent customs duty. Two companies, Salt Trading Corporation (STC) and Food Management and Trading Company, both would import 10,000 MT sugar each for the upcoming festival season, according to Sharma. However, divisional manager of STC Brajesh Jha said that it had asked the government permission to import 50,000 MT of sugar. According to Jha, Nepal's domestic demand for sugar .

Nepal ex-PM against misuse of open border with India by 'unwanted elements'

Former Nepal prime minister KP Sharma Oli on Wednesday said that the people of Nepal and India should benefit from the open border that exists between the two countries, but cautioned against its "misuse" by "unwanted elements. Speaking as the chief guest at a programme organised by the Nepal-India Friendship Society to commemorate India's 77th Independence Day, Oli extended his wishes to the people and government of India. He said there existed people-to-people relations between Nepal and India long before the two countries were formed. The relations between the two countries are born out of nature and nurtured by common history, culture, religion and social values, said Oli, who is the chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified MarxistLeninist). The people of our two countries should benefit from the open border existing between us, but at the same time, we should be careful not to misuse the open border by unwanted elements, he pointed out. Asserting that the two countrie

Nepal ready to supply tomatoes to India, seeks easier access to market

Nepal is ready to export tomatoes to India in bulk on a long-term basis to quell the skyrocketing prices but has sought easy access to the market and other necessary facilities. The neighbouring country's assurance came after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told Parliament on Thursday that India has started importing tomatoes from Nepal amid a record-high spike in prices in the country. India is importing tomatoes for the first time due to high retail prices of around Rs 242 per kg amid supply disruptions caused by heavy rains. Nepal is desirous to export vegetables, such as tomatoes, on a long-term basis to India, but for that India has to provide easy access to its market and other necessary facilities, Agriculture Ministry spokesperson Shabnam Shivakoti told PTI here on Friday. Though Nepal has already started exporting tomatoes to India through official channels a week ago, it is not in big quantities, she said. Arrangements are yet to be made for large-scale export of ...