Nepal

Nepal PM Balendra Shah greets PM Modi, India on 80th Independence Day

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 PM Balen Shah meets Indian envoy, discusses 'historic' bilateral ties

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 .

8 political parties join hands to form 'Progressive Front' in Nepal

Eight Nepalese political parties have announced the formation of a new alliance named the 'Progressive Front' based on "shared political issues and common agendas." The alliance was announced at a programme held in Kathmandu on Saturday comprising Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP), Janamat Party (JP), Aam Janata Party (AJP), Nagarik Unmukti Party Nepal (NUPN), Pragatishil Loktantrik Party (PLP), Nepal Sanghiya Samjawadi Party (NSSP), Bahujan Samajbadi Party Nepal (BSPN) and Khmbuwan Rastriya Morcha (KRM). According to a statement issued by the Progressive Front, the alliance is preparing to move forward on the basis of shared political issues and common agendas. The formation comes amid ongoing efforts among Madhesh-based parties and some other fringe parties to forge political collaboration and cooperation. The front aims to work for the formation of a "just, inclusive and discrimination-less unified society" by ending all types of discrimination and anomalies irrespectiveof the people

Nepal PM Shah to hold meetings with Indian, Chinese envoys on Monday

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 .

Curfew in parts of Nepal bordering India enters 4th day after violence

An indefinite curfew continued in several parts of Nepal's India-bordering Sunsari district in the Koshi province for a fourth day on Thursday, following communal violence that left one person dead and several injured. The security situation in the district is gradually improving, said Assistant Chief District Officer, Sunsari, Poshan Lamichhane. The district administration has extended the curfew, first imposed on Monday, to ten areas, including the East-West Highway, to control the situation. It will remain in force until further notice. Under the curfew, the movement of people, gathering, demonstration, public meeting and sit-in are strictly prohibited. Security has been stepped up in various sensitive areas and government offices. Prime Minister Balendra Shah has called a meeting of the National Security Council on Thursday to review the security situation in the country, especially in Sunsari district. One person was killed and more than a dozen people, including security ...

One killed in communal clash in Nepal's India-bordering Sunsari district

One person was killed and several others, including security personnel, were injured in a communal clash in Nepal's Sunsari district, bordering India, prompting authorities to impose indefinite restrictive orders in parts of the area from Monday. According to the District Administration Office, Sunsari, the prohibitory orders took effect from 7:00 am and cover five market areas in the district, located in the Koshi province. The restrictions will remain in force until further notice. Under the prohibitory orders, gatherings of more than four people, demonstrations, public meetings and sit-ins have been banned in the affected areas. The violence erupted on Sunday night in the Kaptangunj area of Devgunj rural municipality when members of two religious communities, who were separately organising programmes, clashed over the use of loudspeakers and the display of religious flags, police said. A verbal altercation between the two groups escalated into violence, prompting security person

Nepal allows up to ₹25,000 in post-2016 Indian notes for Indians, Nepalis

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 seeks India's nod to accept biometric card for cross-border travel

The proposal has been routed through diplomatic channels to New Delhi, and Nepal's Department of Immigration (DoI) is currently awaiting a formal response

Industry body IVPA seeks curbs on duty-free edible oil imports from Nepal

The Indian Vegetable Oil Producers' Association (IVPA) on Monday called on the government to take steps against an "unprecedented surge" in duty-free refined edible oil imports from Nepal under the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) framework. Imports from Nepal jumped more than 17-fold in two years, rising to over 804,000 tonnes in 2025 from 47,295 tonnes in 2023, the industry body said in a statement, adding that volumes were on track to reach 1 million tonnes annually, making Nepal one of India's largest suppliers of refined edible oils. IVPA said the increase marked a significant structural shift in India's edible oil trade that required policy attention to keep trade, tariff and domestic value-addition goals aligned. "India has consistently championed regional economic cooperation and remains fully committed to the objectives of the SAFTA Agreement," IVPA President Sudhakar Desai said, adding that the scale of the duty-free imports called for a policy review to protect the ...

Why Nepal’s Gen Z is turning against Prime Minister Balen Shah

Protests have returned to Nepal less than a year after Gen Z voters helped bring Balen Shah’s government to power. The demonstrations were triggered by the death of a 25-year-old

Nepal tops foreign student inflows to India, Karnataka leads in enrolments

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), ..

Nepal govt restricts mango imports from India over pesticide concerns

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 Khanal calls three-day India visit 'fruitful'

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 .

Let us build alliance not constrained by past: Nepal minister on India ties

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

Want to resolve boundary row with India: Nepalese foreign minister

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

Nepal PM calls for stronger cooperation among Bimstec on climate, trade

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's ruling party chief Rabi Lamichhane meets PM Modi in Delhi

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.

BJP's Nabin, Nepal's Lamichhane discuss Gen Z's growing role in politics

The BJP chief and Nepal's RSP chairman discussed youth participation in politics, while India rejected calls for third-party involvement in its border dispute with Nepal

Two Indian mountaineers die while descending from Mount Everest summit

Two Indian mountaineers who summited Everest have died while descending, an official said on Friday. The climbers have been identified as Arun Kumar Tiwari and Sandeep Are. It appears that Are summited on Wednesday and Tiwari on Thursday around 5.30 pm, said Rishi Bhandari, secretary general of the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal. The guides "worked really hard" but were not able to save them, he told PTI. Are died on Thursday and it is not clear when Tiwari passed away. Further details are awaited.