Lok Sabha Question No. 2024 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-07
Subject: Bilateral Relations with Nepal
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: KAMAL NATH, JYOTIRADITYA MADHAVRAO SCINDIA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2024

TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.03.2018

## BILATERAL RELATIONS WITH NEPAL

## 2024. SHRI KAMAL NATH:

SHRI JYOTIRADITYA M. SCINDIA:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Union Minister of External Affairs had recently paid a visit to Nepal and held discussions with various leaders there;
- (b) if so, the details of talks held with various leaders there;
- (c) whether   the   Government   has   taken   any   concrete   steps   to strengthen its bilateral relations with Nepal; and
- (d) if so, the cooperation extended by the Government of India to Nepal in attaining economic growth and development?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS [GEN. (DR) V. K. SINGH (RETD)]

(a) & (b) Minister of External Affairs of India Smt. Sushma Swaraj paid an official visit to Nepal from 1-2 February 2018. During the visit, she called on President of Nepal Mrs. Bidya Devi Bhandari and (then) Prime Minister of Nepal Mr. Sher Bahadur Deuba. She also had meetings with leader   of   the   Communist   Party   of   Nepal   (UML)   Mr.   K.P .   Sharma   Oli; Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (MC) Mr. Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'; leaders of Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal Mr. Mahant Thakur, Mr. Rajendra Mahato, Mr. Raj Kishore Yadav, Mr. Sharat Singh Bhandari, Mr. Mahendra  Yadav,   Mr.   Anil   Jha;   and   Chairman   of   Sanghiya   Samajbadi Forum-Nepal Mr. Upendra Yadav. EAM congratulated the political leaders and people of Nepal for the successful conduct of three-tier elections in Nepal.   Discussions   focused   on   ways   to   advance   the   special   ties   of friendship and cooperation between India and Nepal.

(c) & (d) The Government continues to take all necessary measures to advance its age-old, unique, multifaceted ties with Nepal. The Government has expanded its partnership with Nepal through, inter-alia ,   expediting implementation   of   connectivity   and   economic   projects   such   as development of cross-border power transmission lines, construction of cross-border   rail   links,   construction   of   roads   in   the   T erai   region, development of Integrated Check Posts at the India-Nepal border, hydropower projects, and initiatives to enhance people to people contacts and capacity building. Further, under the concessional Lines-of-Credit of over US$ 1.65 billion extended to the Government of Nepal, a number of infrastructure projects are under implementation in Nepal. Besides the regular meetings of India-Nepal Joint Commission at the level of Foreign Minister, which comprehensively reviews bilateral relations, a number of institutional   mechanisms are  in place between India and Nepal in the areas of defence & security, trade & commerce, power, water resources, connectivity and development cooperation to advance mutually beneficial cooperation. The Government is committed to advancing its cooperative ties   across   diverse   sectors   with   Nepal,   as   per   the   priorities   of   the Government of Nepal, for the benefit of the two peoples.

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