EAM Jaishankar hands over cultural heritage projects, health facilities to Nepal FM
New Delhi, June 6
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday held talks with Nepal's Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal and reiterated India's commitment to work with Nepal for mutual progress.
Jaishankar and Khanal discussed about cooperation, connectivity, energy and other areas of development.
In a post on X, he said, "A pleasure to meet FM Shisir Khanal Nepal and his delegation today. A detailed discussion on our unique partnership, including on development cooperation, connectivity, energy, especially hydropower development, education, health, capacity building, digital, culture and sports. Reiterated India's commitment to work with Nepal for mutual progress, prosperity well-being of our peoples."
Jaishankar also handed over virtually 72 health facilities & 12 cultural heritage projects under Reconstruction Programme post 2015 Earthquake.
He said in a post on X, "Following up on the productive meeting with FM Shisir Khanal of Nepal: Handed over virtually 72 health facilities & 12 cultural heritage projects under Reconstruction Programme post 2015 Earthquake. Jointly launched the linkage between UPI India and National Payments Interface Nepal for facilitating cross-border personal remittances. Witnessed the exchange of an MoU between Digital India Bhashini and Kathmandu University for co-creating National Digital Infrastructure for 'Voice First' Language Translation platform for Nepal."
Earlier in the day, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval met Khanal. They discussed ways to advance bilateral cooperation in areas including connectivity, energy and tourism.
In a post on X, Nepal Embassy in India said, "Foreign Minister Hon. Shisir Khanal met with Hon. Shri Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor of India, at his office in New Delhi today. The meeting discussed various matters related to further strengthening Nepal-India bilateral relations."
On Friday, Khanal arrived in India for a two-day official visit. The visit by Khanal marks the highest-level official engagement from the government of Prime Minister Balendra Shah since it assumed office in March this year.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Great initiative, but I hope the actual implementation reaches the ground level quickly. Nepal needs more than handovers—they need sustained technical support and timely completion of ongoing projects. Still, this is a positive step.
India-Nepal bond is unbreakable! 🇮🇳🤝🇳🇵 The digital infrastructure collaboration, especially the voice translation platform, is innovative. It can bridge gaps in education and government services for remote Nepali communities. Kudos to both governments.
It's heartening to see cultural heritage being prioritized alongside health. The post-quake reconstruction isn't just about buildings; it's about restoring people's identities. Hope the projects respect local craftsmanship and traditions too. 🙂
While all this is nice, we must not ignore that China has been making inroads in Nepal too. India needs to back up its soft power with concrete, faster infrastructure projects, especially in energy and connectivity. Otherwise, words alone won't keep ties strong.
The UPI link is a game-changer for remittances! No more hefty fees and delays for hardworking Nepalis abroad. This kind of practical cooperation will do more for ordinary people than any summit. 👏
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.