WORLD NEWS | India, Nepal satisfied with progress made in power sector cooperation: MEA

New Delhi [India]June 3 (ANI): Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka ‘Prachanda’ and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are satisfied with the progress made by the two countries in cooperating in the power sector and have also finalized a long-term power trade agreement, in which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal (MEA ) in a press release on Friday agreed to work to increase Nepal’s electricity exports to India.

The Prime Minister of Nepal is on an official visit to India after taking office this term.

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During their meeting with Prime Minister Modi, the two leaders had extensive bilateral discussions with traditional warmth and cordiality. They reviewed the full breadth of India-Nepal’s bilateral agenda, covering politics, economics, trade, energy, security and development cooperation.

Prime Minister Prachanda also called on President Drupadhi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval visited the Prime Minister during his stay in Delhi.

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The two leaders noted the excellent cooperation between the two countries, including in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Stressing the strong economic and trade partnership between the two countries, they welcomed the signing of the revised Transit Treaty, which includes providing access to India’s inland waterways.

Recalling the April 2022 Joint Vision Statement on Power Sector Cooperation, the two Prime Ministers expressed satisfaction with the progress made in power sector cooperation, including the development of power generation projects, transmission, infrastructure and trade in electricity. According to the MEA release, both Prime Ministers appreciated the increase in Nepal’s electricity exports to India by up to 452 MW and the progress made in the construction of the 900 MW Arun-3 hydropower project in Nepal.

The two sides finalized a long-term power trade agreement in which they agreed to work to increase Nepal’s electricity exports to India to 10,000 megawatts within a decade and to do so by taking all necessary steps to encourage mutual-Nepalese hydropower sector and transmission infrastructure beneficial investment.

The leaders of the two countries also jointly conducted the groundbreaking ceremony of the 400kV Gorakhpur-Boutwal transmission line. The signing of the MoU between NHPC and Nepal’s VUCL Ltd for the development of the 480 MW Phukot-Karnali project and the project development agreement (IBN) between Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) and the Nepal Investment Board for the development of the 669 MW Lower Arun project were welcomed by both parties .

Nepal, for its part, welcomed the Indian government’s decision to facilitate the first-ever trilateral power deal from Nepal to Bangladesh, exporting up to 40 MW of power through the Indian grid. The two sides committed to strengthening sub-regional cooperation, including in the energy sector, which will strengthen the interconnectedness of economies to the benefit of all stakeholders.

The Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project (PMP) is in line with the vision of the Mahakali Treaty and the aspirations of the people of Nepal and India. In this context, relevant officials of the two governments agreed to expedite bilateral discussions with a view to completing the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the PMP as early as possible within three months. The Pancheshwar Development Authority (PDA) should submit the final DPR to both governments. The governments of the two countries and relevant units take the lead in arranging project funds. The official statement said the implementation method should be determined within one year of the ratification of the DPR by the two governments.

The two sides welcomed the commencement of the construction of the Tanakpur Link Canal and agreed to discharge the water from the Tanakpur Dam into the Nepal Irrigation Command Area through the canal in stages when the necessary facilities on the Nepalese side are ready. . The technical teams of both parties will contact each other on this matter.

Both parties also welcomed the decision of the Government of India to finance the Bheri Corridor, Nijgadh-Inaruwa and Gandak Nepalgunj transmission lines and associated substations under the Indian Line of Credit at an estimated cost of US$679.8 million.

Appreciating the positive momentum in developing the partnership, the two Prime Ministers reviewed the implementation of major ongoing projects. Prachanda assured Prime Minister Modi of his government’s full support for the timely completion of all India aid projects.

Connectivity was further facilitated by the establishment of an Integrated Checkpoint (ICP) between India and Nepal with grant assistance from India, and the two leaders launched mirror ICPs in Rupaidiha (India) and Nepalgunj (Nepal). The two leaders also held groundbreaking ceremonies for mirror ICPs in Sunauli (India) and Bhairahawa (Nepal). A Memorandum of Understanding on the construction of another ICP in Dodhara Chandani, Nepal with the assistance of an Indian grant was also signed during the visit. These ICPs will help improve transportation facilities and further strengthen people-to-people and trade, business and economic ties between India and Nepal.

In a major move to enhance rail connectivity, the two leaders chaired the cross-border freight railway on the Jogbani-Biratnagar railway line between Bathnaha (India) and Nepal Customs Station (Nepal), which was built with the aid of an Indian grant Operational first run. This will further strengthen the trade and business ties between the two countries through Biratnagar, the main economic hub in eastern Nepal. To further expand the Jaynagar-Kurtha passenger railway operation launched last April, the Kurtha-Bijalpura railway section has been handed over to the Nepalese government and will now be operational soon.

During the visit, the survey report on the final site selection of the Laxor-Kathmandu railway line has also been handed over to the Nepali side. The center also agreed to the Nepalese government’s request for training and capacity building of Nepalese railway officials at the Indian Railway Academy and agreed to provide a one-off grant for the maintenance of the railway infrastructure marked as the Jaynagar-Kurtha railway section in April last year. Prime Ministers of India and Nepal step down.

On energy connectivity, the two leaders noted with satisfaction the benefits of the Motihari-Amlekhgunj oil pipeline, which opened in September 2019. To further strengthen this cooperation, the two leaders also laid the foundation stone for the second phase of the Motihari-Amlekhgunj pipeline in Chitwan. MoUs were also signed during the visit to build oil supply infrastructure, including the laying of a new pipeline between Siliguri and Japa, the extension of the existing oil pipeline from Amlekhgunj to Chitwan, and the construction of two greenfields in Chitwan and Japa pier.

The two sides also decided to further strengthen digital financial connectivity between the two countries. In this regard, India’s NPCIL and Nepal’s NCHL exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding on facilitating cross-border digital payments.

The Prime Ministers of both countries noted with satisfaction the understanding reached in February last year on the supply of urea and DAP from India to Nepal. To further enhance this cooperation, the two leaders agreed to set up a fertilizer plant in Nepal with the participation of public and private sector entities in Nepal and India to meet the fertilizer needs of Nepalese and Indian farmers and ensure that the markets of both countries are adequately Guaranteed. The two Prime Ministers directed the relevant authorities to explore the feasibility of such a plant.

India has also decided to build two bridges across the Mahakali River at Shirsha and Jhulaghat in Nepal, connecting the Champawat and Pithoragarh regions of India. The bridges will facilitate connectivity between India’s Uttarakhand state and Nepal’s Sudurpasing province.

In order to give new impetus to the agricultural sector, the two sides discussed new avenues of bilateral cooperation, such as nano-fertilizers and natural farming. As part of India-Nepal cooperation in agriculture and livestock related fields, 15 Mulla buffaloes were supplied to the Nepalese government at its request.

The Government of India has offered to build a ground station and provide 300 user terminals with grant assistance to provide South Asia satellite services to Nepal. The initiative will promote regional cooperation in the space sector, applications of space technology and research institutions in areas such as telecommunications and broadcasting, telemedicine, distance education, e-government, banking and ATM services, meteorological data transmission, disaster response and academic networking.

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Prime Minister Prachanda also visited Indore and Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh on Friday. His visits to these cities reflect the deep religious and cultural ties between the two countries.

“Nepal is one of the important partners of India’s ‘Neighborhood First’ policy. The visit of the Prime Minister of Nepal to India continues the tradition of high-level mutual visits and exchanges between the two countries and strengthens the historical ties between the two countries. The fruitful meetings held during the visit The discussions helped broaden understanding and perspectives between the two countries on a broad bilateral agenda, and provided a strong direction to advance a deeply entrenched partnership,” the MEA press release said. (Arnie)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the body of content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)