PM’s India visit itinerary fixed

Kathmandu, May 28: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ is undertaking his maiden foreign trip as the PM of Nepal with a 4-day visit to India from Wednesday, 31 May 2023. 

This is an official visit happening at the invitation of the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. The Prime Minister will be accompanied by his daughter Ganga Dahal, ministers, secretaries, and senior officials of the government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) informed in a statement on Saturday. However, the members of his delegation for the India entourage would be finalised by a meeting of the Cabinet on Sunday. 

This is the fourth visit of Prime Minister ‘Prachanda’ to India as the Prime Minister of Nepal. During the visit, PM Prachanda is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on President of India, Droupadi Murmu, and Vice-President, Jagdeep Dhankhar. 

According to the MoFA, he will hold delegation-level talks with his Indian counterpart Modi at Hyderabad House, the state guest house of the PM of India which is used for holding meetings with visiting foreign dignitaries, on Thursday, June 1. A joint press meet by the PM duo would follow the meeting. 

PM Modi will host a luncheon in honour of PM Prachanda and his delegation. The Prime Minister will address Nepal-India Business Summit in New Delhi jointly organised by Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and interact with business leaders of both countries. 

He will also interact with the Nepali community in India over a welcome reception being hosted by the Ambassador of Nepal to India, Shankar Prasad Sharma. 

PM Prachanda is also scheduled to visit Ujjain and Indore, Madhya Pradesh before returning to Kathmandu on June 3. The MoFA said that the visit will further strengthen the age-old, multifaceted, and cordial relations between Nepal and India.

The government has been making preparations for the visit for the last couple of months. As per the agenda sent to the Prime Minister’s Office by the line ministries, the upcoming visit would have a long list of agenda, from electricity trade and investment to air route, to discuss between the two countries.

Nepal is in need of Indian cooperation for electricity trade with Bangladesh including a separate transmission line to the coastal country through India. Likewise, there are chances of inking agreement for the development of large hydropower projects like Phukot Karnali.

Similarly, two-way air-routes from Bhairahawa and Mahendranagar is another agenda that Nepal wants India to agree upon. Earlier in 2019, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal and Airport Authority of India had agreed to develop new cross-border air-routes from Janakpur, Biratnagar and Mahendranagar. However, there has not been much progress in the implementation part. 

Meanwhile, as the second international airport is in operation in Bhairahawa, Nepal needs an air entry route from the western part of the country. 

A memorandum of understanding between Nepal and India could also be signed for the development of the 

Integrated Check Post and Inland Container Depot (ICP/ICD) in Dodhara Chandani Municipality during the visit. 

Earlier this month, the government had approved the Environment Impact Assessment report of the project to be 

developed at the western end of the country. According to the Nepal Intermodal Transport Development Board (NITDB), an agency under the Ministry of 

Industry, Commerce and Supplies that has the responsibility to build and facilitate the construction of trade infrastructure, Indian support was being sought for the development of the trade infrastructure that would cost about Rs. 20 billion for the first two phases. 

Inauguration of Nepalgunj ICP, Biratnagar Rail Yard and stone laying of Bhairahawa ICP could also happen during the visit. Similarly, agreement on cross-border digital payment is another agenda. According to Indian media reports, the two countries have already prepared the draft of the agreement and it would be signed during the visit. This agreement would allow Indian tourists to pay in Nepal via their e-payment wallets.