On the invitation of Prime Minister (PM) of India, Narendra Modi, the PM Nepal Sher Bahadur Deuba, accompanied by a high-level delegation (4 Cabinet ministers) and his spouse Dr Arzu Deuba was on a 3-day visit to India on April 1-3, 2022. They were received at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) or Delhi Airport by Ajay Bhatt, Minister of state (MoS) for Defence and of Tourism.
- This was PM Sher Bahadur Deuba’s first visit after becoming PM in July 2021. However this is his fifth visit to India as PM, with the last visit being in August 2017. The previous three visits took place in 2004, 2002 and 1996.
- Besides official engagements in New Delhi, he visited Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh (UP), and offered prayers at the Kal Bhairav and Kashi Vishwanath temples.
Meetings:
i.On April 1, 2022, The Nepalese PM visited the headquarters of the BJP at New Delhi on the invitation of party President Jagat Prakash Nadda. He gifted PM Sher Bahadur Deuba a copy of Integral Humanism, a book by Deen Dayal Upadhay.
ii.After that he met Union Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
iii.Then on April 2, he met the Indian PM Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House, New Delhi.
Here is the list of List of Projects launched, documents exchanged and announcements made during the official visit of Prime Minister of Nepal to India
Launches/Inaugurations:
Launch and operationalisation of 34.9 km long cross border rail link from Jaynagar to Kurtha
Both PMs jointly launched and operationalized 34.9 km long (∼22-mile) cross border rail link from Jaynagar in Bihar to Kurtha in Nepal at the Hyderabad House, New Delhi. They also jointly flagged off the inaugural run of the cross-border passenger train services between Jaynagar and Kurtha. It was built by the colonial British Indian government as a narrow-gauge line to transport logs from Nepal.
Key Points:
i.The Jaynagar-Kurtha section is part of the 68.7km Jayanagar-Bijalpura-Bardibas rail link.
ii.It is also the first section of the rail line between the two countries. It was completed in 2021 at Rs 619 crore with Indian Grant Assistance.
iii.The service connects India and Nepal in the Jayanagar-Kurtha section with a total of 2.95 km in India while the remaining 65.75km is in Nepal.
iv.The train is proposed to be run at the average speed of 40 kmph for the inaugural run and will take 1 hour to reach Janakpur/ Kurtha. The train will be operated by Nepal Railway Company (NRC), with assistance of KRCL and IRCON.
Inauguration of the 90 km long 132 KV Solu Corridor transmission line
The two prime ministers also remotely inaugurated 90 km long 132 KV Solu Corridor transmission line and substation that will supply hydroelectric power generated in the Solukhumbu area, where Mount Everest is located, to Nepal’s national power grid. It is built with Indian Line of Credit at a cost of Rs 200 crore.
- Both countries agreed to speed up the Pancheswar hydroelectric project.
- The project was executed by an Indian company, Mohan Energy, under EPC model. The line connects the remote Solukhumbu, Khotang and Okhaldhunga districts of North Eastern Nepal with Nepal’s national electricity grid.
Launch of RuPay Card in Nepal
Both PMs launched the operation of RuPay cards in Nepal to promote the flow of Indian tourists and further strengthen people-to-people linkages. With this Nepal becomes the 4th foreign country to operationalise the RuPay card. The three other countries that have the RuPay card are Bhutan, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. It will now work at 1,400 point-of-sale machines in Nepal.
Nepal SBI Bank (NSBL), a subsidiary of SBI and Nepal’s largest international bank, worked on this project over more than a year and, with support from Nepal’s Central Bank, has been able to make RuPay cards functional on all NSBL POS machines in Nepal.
Construction of the 132 Health facilities in Nepal with US$ 50 million grant
Apart from above launches, both sides also witnessed a video clip on the progress in construction of the 132 Health facilities in Nepal, undertaken with US$ 50 million in post-earthquake reconstruction grant.
Memorandums of Understanding:
International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement handover by Nepal
On April 1, 2022, Nepal joined the International Solar Alliance (ISA) becoming 105th country to become a signatory to the framework agreement.
Exchange of Agreement on Supply of Petroleum Products between IOC and NOC
Nepal and India also inked a pact for the renewal of MoU for the supply of petroleum products for a period of five years between Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) and Nepal Oil Corporation Ltd (NOC).
- There is also Exchange of Agreement for sharing of Technical Expertise between IOCL and NOC
Exchange of MoU on enhancing Technical Cooperation in the Railway Sector
The exchange of MOUs, on enhancing technical cooperation in the Railway Sector between Shri Rabindra Nath Shrestha, Secretary Ministry of Physical Infrastructure & Transport from Govt. of Nepal & Shri VK Tripathi Chairman & CEO Railway Board.
Announcements
Joint Vision Statement on bilateral power sector cooperation
A joint vision statement on the power sector cooperation launched at the end of talks between the two leaders, states Indian investment into Nepal’s renewable power sector, especially in the Hydropower sector which will benefit both sides. It will help in creating jobs, enhance export earnings, and contribute further in the development of industrial and financial capacities.
Recent Related News:
i.India and Nepal signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of a motorable bridge over the Mahakali River connecting Dharchula (India) with Darchula (Nepal), under Indian grant assistance.
ii.Nepal has become the first country outside of India to adopt India’s UPI (Unified Payments Interface) system thus enhancing digitalization of cash transactions. The services for the same in Nepal will be provided.
About Nepal:
Capital– Kathmandu
Currency– Nepalese rupee
