New Delhi: India’s former ambassador to Nepal and author of the book Kathmandu Dilemma: Resetting India-Nepal Ties, Ranjit Rae said that it is expected that the 5040 MW Pancheshwar hydropower project will get a major push during the visit by Nepal’s Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudyal to New Delhi. The two-day long visit is scheduled to start on Tuesday.
“Certainly, it is a very significant visit as it will be an opportunity to discuss the entire gamut of bilateral engagement. The economic engagement between the two countries is the most significant and considerable headway has been made in the power sector. We have several Indian companies that are engaged in generation of hydropower in Nepal. It is expected that the Pancheshwar hydropower project will get a huge push," Rae told ETV Bharat in an exclusive interview.
He pointed out that during the recent visit by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to New Delhi, there has been talk about trilateral cooperation between Bangladesh, India and Nepal. “Therefore, I think the visit of Nepal’s Foreign Secretary will open the way for Nepal to start selling power to Bangladesh through India. This will bring closer economic integration in the region”, he added.
Rae also said that the connectivity projects between the two countries such as integrated check post, Raxaul Kathmandu rail line, cross border pipeline, should be given a big push. “Foreign Secretary’s visit is a very important working level visit to resolve a lot of the issues in our bilateral cooperation and this will set the ground for meeting at the level of the Foreign Ministers”, he said.
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Paudyal's visit to India is crucial as it is taking place after the back to back visits of the two Prime Ministers in April and May this year and also in the context of plethora of developments both in the regional level and globally. This will be Paudyal’s first official visit to the India after he became Nepal's Foreign secretary in October 2020.
The visit of the Nepali Foreign Secretary also comes at a time when the world is witnessing a significant geopolitical issue in the view of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Commenting on this, the Former Indian envoy to Nepal said, “Nepal has been badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the Ukraine crisis as the price of fertilizers, fuel was skyrocketing, which led to huge inflation. Besides that, the contestation between China and US has become a big issue as China is a neighbouring country of Nepal."
“There is a big geopolitical battle going on and of course there are many opportunities for Nepal and India but there are lot of challenges as well. It is in this context both the countries has to forge and strengthen ties by improving connectivity, creating common economic space through trade and power”, added the former envoy.
Earlier the MEA said that the Foreign Secretaries will hold discussions on September 13 on bilateral issues covering the entire range of multifaceted cooperation between India and Nepal, in particular, reviewing the progress on the various initiatives and announcements made during the recent high level visit of Prime Minister of Nepal, Sher Bahadur Deuba to India and Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi to Nepal, in April and May 2022.
Nepal’s Foreign Secretary’s visit is also expected to focus on discussion on recruitment of Gorkhas in Indian Army under the Agnipeeth scheme. Last month, the MEA said that the Indian Army will continue to recruit Nepal Domicile Gurkhas (NDGs) under the Agnipath scheme. The comment came hours after Nepal postponed a recruitment drive for Gurkha soldiers in Butwal where arrangements were made for a round of recruitment for Gurkha soldiers into the Indian Army.
