New Delhi: Nepalese Prime Minister Puspa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda will look for means strengthen trade ties with India as Nepal sees India as a big market in his four-day official visit here, following his arrival on Wednesday. Prachanda's Delhi visit is his first overseas trip since he assumed office.
According to sources, the issue of transit power trade by Nepal via Indian route, for the sale of power to Bangladesh, will be discussed. Nepal and Bangladesh have been pushing India to allow transit power trade. Some agreements in the field of energy are expected to be finalised during the bilateral talks.
To meet PM Modi-Dahal will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. He will also meet President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and several others including and Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kawatra.
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When Dahal meets PM Modi, several agreements are expected to be signed between the two leaders. Dahal and Modi are expected to remotely inaugurate a railway yard and and expanded rail link aimed at enhancing connectivity between the two countries.
Bilateral ties-Speaking to ETV Bharat, India's former ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri said, “The visit will see fruitful outcomes between India and Nepal in the power, trade and energy sectors. Most importantly, Nepal sees India as a big market and Nepal will explore the possibility of further Indian investments in the hydropower sector.”
“The visit is expected to add momentum to strong economic cooperation between the two countries, which has become the need of the hour especially given the geopolitical changes and also in the face of growing China's influence," the former diplomat said.
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Puri noted that Dahal's visit comes at a geopolitically challenging time and it is indeed very delightful to see that the Nepalese PM is undertaking his first foreign visit to India after assuming office. India has always been the point for every Nepalese Prime Minister. Prachanda's visit is to bolster the ties between India and Nepal.
Puri also said that the border issue between India and Nepal will crop up for discussion during the visit. Prachanda was accorded a warm welcome on his arrival by Minister of State for Ministry of External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi.
It is pertinent to note that ahead of Dahal's visit to India, the Himalayan nation on Sunday decided to allow India's Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) Limited to develop a second hydropower project in the country. At present, the Indian government is developing a 900-MW Arun -III hydroelectric project, a run-of-river scheme located on the Arun River in Eastern Nepal, scheduled to be completed in 2024.
According to an official statement, a meeting of the Investment Board Nepal (IBN) chaired by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal approved the draft project development agreement (PDA) to be signed with India's state-owned SJVN to develop the 669-megawatt (MW) Lower Arun Hydropower project in eastern Nepal.
Dahal will address Nepal-India Business Summit in New Delhi jointly organised by the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and interact with business leaders of both countries. The Nepal PM is also scheduled to visit Ujjain and Indore, Madhya Pradesh before returning to Kathmandu on June 3.
