India-Nepal Conducts High Level Meeting, Discusses Development Projects

Development of Terai roads, Development Projects, development projects in Himalayan, India-Nepal Development Projects, India-Nepal High Level Meeting, Prime Minister of Nepal, Ramayana circuit

On the 17th of August, senior diplomats of Nepal and India conducted a meeting.The meeting was a virtual one to discuss the development projects in Himalayan nation from New Delhi. 

The meeting was conducted amid tension between India and Nepal over border rows.

The meeting was scheduled after the 74th Independence Day on the 15th of August.

K.P. Sharma Oli, the Prime Minister of Nepal telephoned his Indian counterpart Prime Minister Narendra Modi and greeted on the occasion of India’s 74th Independence Day.

The greet from Nepal was the first in the first high-level contact after bilateral ties due to the issuance of a new political map of Nepal.

The ties between India and Nepal disturbed after the inauguration of an 80 km long strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand. The road was launched by Rajnath Singh, the Defence Minister of India on the 8th of May, 2020.

Soon after the inauguration of the road, Nepal protested saying it passed through its territory.

Days later, Nepal came out with the new map showing Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as its territories.

In June, Nepal’s Parliament approved the new political map of the country featuring areas which India maintains belong to it.

Since then, India and Nepal are facing Bilateral issues. However, keeping their differences aside, both the Country met and discussed the developments.

Highlights of today’s meeting:

This was the 8th round of the Oversight Mechanism (OSM) meet through Video Conferencing.

During the meeting, the status of implementation of the on-going projects was discussed including the Ramayana circuit.

Development of Terai roads, cross-border railways, Arun-III hydropower project, Pancheshwar multipurpose project, irrigation, power and transmission lines, construction of Nepal Police Academy, motorable bridges over Mahakali River are some of the other projects discussed during the OSM.

India and Nepal also discussed the reconstruction of 46,301 earthquakes effected houses in Gorkha and Nuwakot districts.

The operationalization of Motihari-Amlekhgunj cross-border petroleum products pipeline and the Integrated Check Post at Biratnagar were also discussed.

Speaking about today’s meeting, he Indian Government said, “Nepal also noted with appreciation COVID-19 related assistance, including the supply of medicines and medical equipment to Nepal by India.”

On the other hand, the Nepali Foreign Ministry said, “Both sides underlined the need for the expeditious implementation of the bilateral projects” and “In that connection, they agreed to undertake necessary measures to timely address problems and obstacles in the course of implementation.”

The OSM meet was organised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his Nepal visit in 2016.

Stay tuned for further updates.

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