The award recipients included students from 50 Nepali districts, pursuing undergraduate courses in MBBS, BDS, BE, BSc, BBA and BCom across various Nepali institutions, locally.

The award recipients included 45 percent of girls and 8 percent of differently-abled students, the Indian Embassy said in an official release.

Speaking on the occasion, Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri congratulated the students and urged them to focus on socio-economic development of Nepal and areas that boost Indo-Nepal relations.

Indo-Nepal Golden Jubilee Scholarship Scheme

Indian Government introduced this scheme in 2002 marking the 50 years of India-Nepal Economic Cooperation, and as a mark of India’s support to human resources and socio-economic development of Nepal.

From 50 at the start, the number of Nepali award recipients increased to around 100 students by and continued to remain 200 since 2012.

Under the scheme, MBBS/BDS student receives NPR 4000/- per month for five years, while a BE student will get NPR 4000/- per month for four years and a students of other undergraduate courses will receive NPR 3000/- per month for three years.

Till date, the scheme has benefited around 2,350 students from 77 Nepali districts, the Embassy said in its release.

Besides, the Indian Government also provides around 3000 scholarships to aspiring students in various other fields such as medical, veterinary sciences, science, agriculture, dental science, pharmacology, arts, commerce, engineering, computer science and nursing across various Nepali institutions.

Women in Higher Education On Rise in Nepal

Meanwhile, the number of women students in higher education are growing as a result of rise in enrolment of girls in schools, a senior Nepali official said on March 12, 2019.

Speaking at the ongoing 63^rd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW-63) of UN, president of Women and Social Committee of Nepal Niru Devi Pal recalled Nepal’s achievements in advancement of women rights through the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action of 1995, among other initiatives.

She emphasized that the girl empowerment made by Nepal has changed the dynamics of human resources in Nepali public sector, placing women in key decision-making positions.

Stating that many Nepali women have moved away from traditional practices, Devi said that there has been a gradual progress in women presence across politics, education, media, health, among other sectors.

She also highlighted on the country’s gender-responsive budgets adoption of gender-responsive monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.

In Conclusion

Hope more such meritorious programs by government bodies and local community groups will further the development of Nepali education sector, contributing to skill development.

Stay tuned for more interesting updates about Nepal and Nepalis!

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Pushing ahead the decision on convening the 19^th SAARC Summit, Gyawali urged India and Pakistan to resolve issues and facilitate ways for conducting the Summit at the earliest possible.

Gyawali raised this issue of long-stalled 19^th SAARC Summit with his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj during his recent two-day visit to India.

Gyawali has reportedly made it clear that Nepal, as a SAARC’s current Chair, is not willing to make any further delays in conducting the Summit.

Talking to Indian journalists, Gyawali questioned as to why the two countries could not sit and address the pending issues.

“Nepal is always in favor of broader regional and meaningful cooperation. There is no alternative to sitting together for talks and finding solutions to the problems. If [Donald] Trump and Kim [Jong-un] can meet, then why not countries in our region?” reads Gyawali’s statement.

The 19^th SAARC Summit due in 2016 has been cancelled after New Delhi rejected Pakistan’s invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the SAARC event in Islamabad.

The Background

Paving way for the stalled 19^th SAARC summit, Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli met Pakistan’s former PM Yousaf Raza Gillani on December 02, 2018.

This discussion took place on the side-lines of Gillani’s Kathmandu visit for the Asia Pacific Summit 2018.

During the meeting, Oli expressed his intention to make South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) effective and get the SAARC summit to commence at the earliest.

“We want to see the SAARC summit convening and handover the chairmanship at the earliest,” read the press statement issued by the Nepal PM Secretariat.

Oli opines that it is high time that the SAARC summit ’s 19^th edition is hosted. The important summit postponement in November 2016 over India-Pakistan indifferences.

In November 2016, Pakistan was supposed to host the summit. However, the meet was cancelled when SAARC nations such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan and India boycotted stating that they lacked a friendly environment for holding the summit.

Pakistan was held responsible for promoting terrorism, a claim which Pakistan strongly denied.

Following the row, Nepal has been patiently waiting to handover chair to Pakistan and making significant efforts to hold the summit’s next edition there.

According to Nepal PM’s Foreign Affairs Advisor Rajan Bhattarai, Gillani expressed’s commitment to SAARC and its readiness to host the summit.

Besides the SAARC discussion, Oli and Gilani also spoke about strengthening trade and investment among South Asian countries.

Gilani also appreciated Nepal for its efforts on achieving political stability and progress.

Reviving 19th SAARC Summit

Days after the successful 4^th BIMSTEC Summit, Former Nepali PM and Chairman of ruling Communist Party of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) said Nepal was keen on taking ahead the SAARC Summit in its next move.

Prachanda made these sensational statements on the side-lines of his four-day bilateral visit to India in the last week concluding on September 09, 2018.

As part of his four-day visit that he called ‘productive’, the former Nepali PM reportedly expressed his government’s commitment to revive the stalled 19^th SAARC Summit at the earliest possible.

Ruling out misconceptions over BIMSTEC as replacement to SAARC, Prachanda said on September 07, 2018 that SAARC and BIMSTEC support each other and are not substitutes to one another.

“Some of India’s neighbours are jealous about the progress of BIMSTEC. SAARC is not an alternative to BIMSTEC. India has to improve its diplomatic outreach in Nepal backed by timely implementation of bilateral and BBIN projects,” says an expert who closely followed BIMSTEC.

Prachanda had informed that the Pakistan Government already urged India for its decision on rescheduling of the SAARC Summit.

Explaining more on his India visit, Prachanda informed that they discussed various key issues pertaining to Indo-Nepal bilateral ties and the region.

“It is rare to have long discussions with top leaders during bilateral meetings but this time it was a good opportunity for me. I had a discussion with PM Narendra Modi and other Indian leaders on various issues related to the two countries. This has given a very positive message to both countries,” said Prachanda.

Speaking to Nepali media on his return, Prachanda said they also discussed on past leadership agreements agreed upon by India and Nepal along with issues pertaining to trade deficit, cross-border and post-quake reconstruction.

Revival of SAARC gains significance in view of the 4^th BIMSTEC Summit that reportedly addressed some of the key issues that SAARC couldn’t.

Will have to wait to see what the latest Nepal-India bilateral discussions will lead to pertaining to further actions on the 19^th SAARC Summit that was supposed to take place on November 2016 and got postponed due to some reasons.

Nepal is currently the SAARC Chair, which will be handed over to Pakistan in the 19^th SAARC Summit.

Also Read:

• New SAARC Center To Boost Nepali Handicrafts
• Nepal, Pakistan Seek Strong SAARC, Sector-wise Cooperation

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As the officials say, the two countries’ authorities presented matters of mutual cooperation before the India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence DP Dash and Director General of Nepal Customs Nepal Toyam Raya on November 19-20, 2018.

As part of discussions, the two sides decided to establish a hotline for strong collaboration to address smuggling, improve border management and facilitate trade.

This discussion was held on the side-lines of the 19th annual Indo-Nepal Director General-level talks.

This is not the first time that the two countries discussed ways to address border management, especially the illegal movement across Indo-Nepal boundaries.

Looking at the past, the previous edition of this meeting i.e. the 18^th DG-level talks in New Delhi on October 9-10, 2018 had laid special focus on controlling drug smuggling, movement of fake Indian currency notes, gold, wildlife, and other contraband across the Indo-Nepal border.

The two sides had also discussed various other issues pertaining to trade facilitation, enforcement and automation.

The matter of border management gains significance in view of the ongoing South Asian matters such as illegal movement of refugees from Malaysia and Bhutan into Nepal, among others, concerning homeland security.

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The new route launched by the Bihar Chief Minister (CM) Nitish Kumar India’s Patna & Bodh Gaya and Nepal’s Kathmandu & Janakpur cities.

According to Bihar Transport Secretary Sanjay Kumar Agarwal, a total of eight buses will run in three routes covering the two countries: Patna-Kathmandu, Patna-Janakpur and Bodh Gaya-Kathmandu.

The new bus service is the result of a public-private partnership commissioned post an agreement between India and Nepal in the past, which includes two different meetings in New Delhi and Kathmandu that led to singing of a tripartite agreement between Nepal, Indian External Affairs Ministry and the Government of Bihar.

“This bus service will further strengthen the relations between India and Nepal. It will prove very beneficial for Buddhist tourists in the two places,” reads a statement by Nitish Kumar.

Besides boosting the tourism aspect of Buddhist Circuit, the new service will also help thousands of travellers moving between India and Nepal, say the officials.

Prior to this, Nepali PM KP Sharma Oli and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi had jointly launched a direct bus transport between Janakpur and Ayodhya on May 11, 2018 under the Ramayana Circuit.

The new service will begin on September 13, 2018. Hope more such initiatives would come up strengthening Indo-Nepal ties in all aspects.

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While one is on border security measures as part of the 3^rd India-Nepal Coordination meeting scheduled for August 08, 2018, the other meeting on August 09, 2018 is about reviewing the existing trade treaty between the two countries.

Border Security
A seven-member Nepali delegation led by the Inspector General of Nepal Armed Police Force Shailendra Khanal has already arrived in New Delhi to take part in this three-day meeting from August 8-10, 2018.

According to the Indian Home Ministry, the meeting will throw light on key issues pertaining to border security, such as exchange of information on crimes and criminals, regular mutual visits of officials, coordination on field level and training of armed personnel of both the countries.

Speaking on the sidelines of the meet, Khanal stressed on the need for enhancing security coordination through activities such as joint patrolling, frequent border-level meetings and combined training of armed forces.

Review of Trade & Transit Treaty
Meanwhile, officials of both nations are also gearing up for preparation meeting for the long-awaited review of the Nepal-India Trade and Transit Treaty on August 09, 2018.

A seven-member Nepali delegation led by the Nepal Industry Ministry Spokesperson Rabi Shankar Sainju is traveling to India as Nepal’s representation in this Joint Secretary level meeting.

As part of the meet, Nepali side will be highlighting issues such as handling of Nepali-bound cargo at Indian ports, usage of Indian seaports and assisting Indian businessmen in the production business, widening trade deficit between the two countries, among other issues pertaining to Indo-Nepal bilateral trade.

Port Operations: Nepal will be presenting a proposal pertaining to the transshipment modality for Nepal-bound cargo from India’s Visakhapatnam port.

“If the transshipment modality is implemented at the new port, it will also reduce the number of documents required to transport Nepal-bound consignments at the Indian port,” says Sanju.

The delegation will be pitching for the launch of an Electronic Cargo Tracking System (ECTS) for Nepal-bound containers, alike what Nepal did in case of Kolkata port four months ago.

“We will be requesting the Indian side to implement the modality on a trial basis for a month,” adds Sanju.

As part of the meeting, Nepali delegation is also planning to urge India to give them access to other Indian seaports such as Dhamra Port of Odisha and Mundra Port of Gujarat, among others.

Assisting Indian Businessmen: Nepali team is also keen on pitching for assistance to Indian investors in their investment process in the production sector. Officials feel that this would curtail the widening trade deficit between the two countries.

Provisions related to enhancing bilateral trade and finding solutions to rules of origin put forth by the Indian Government are among other key issues to be discussed under the review of the Trade and Transit Treaty over the next three months.

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The seminar titled ‘Nepal–India Think Tank Summit (NITTS) 2018’ was organized by AIDIA and Nehru Memorial Museum Library (NMML) in Kathmandu on July 31, 2018.

An official release informed that the summit will work on cooperation in key areas through regular dialogues and institutional collaboration on resource-sharing for joint events between think-tanks of the two countries.

“The Summit will for the first time address the need for greater collaboration and knowledge-sharing among Nepali and Indian think tanks as well as the particular problem of bridging the gap between think tanks and policymakers,” AIDIA said in a statement.

According to AIDIA, the ever-growing political and socioeconomic challenges are limiting the scope for thinking and planning.

In view of that fact, the Summit will start showcasing the role of think-tanks in transforming Nepal-India bilateral relations.

The summit is bringing together think-tanks, government representatives, diplomatic missions, policy makers, academicians, business sectors and media to discuss on making meaningful conclusions and recommendations.  

‘Look South’ Policy
Speaking on the sidelines of the summit, the Director of Think-tank India Foundation Ram Madhav said oceans can play a vital role in Nepal’s development considering the importance of water connectivity.

In this regard, he called on Nepal to adopt the ‘Look South’ policy to gain advantage of better connectivity through Indian Ocean.

Terming Indian Ocean as the most-happening aspect, Ram Madhav urged Nepal to get the best of the Ocean by tapping its potential using Bangladesh’s Chittagong Port and India’s Calcutta Port.

Speaking further on Indian Government’s move towards supporting neighboring nations, Madhav informed that India is committed to support Nepal and has extended its support in the latter’s efforts to progress in the path of parliamentary democracy. 

Key objectives of the summit include:

• Exploring the role of think-tanks in shaping Indo-Nepal relations;
• Encouraging active collaboration on research, publication, sharing of information, human resource and finance to promote joint events between the participating think-tanks and supports evidence-based policymaking;
• Gaining a better understanding of the organizational and policy challenges facing think tanks and policymakers in Nepal and India;
• Identifying the most pressing policy challenges and bilateral issues related to political, economic and security between Nepal and India in the current scenario and the ways to tackle these for promoting mutually inclusive bilateral relations;

AIDIA is planning similar summits every year under the single agenda of strengthening bilateral ties.

“The Summit is proposed to become an annual feature for the participating organizations and will be hosted alternatively each year in Nepal and India respectively. Important issues encountering Nepal–India ties and emerging issues in regional/international level will form the specific themes of the Summit each year,” informed an official release.               

This year’s Summit on July 31, 2018 saw the participation of  Former Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal as its chief guest, along with other key dignitaries including Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri, AIDIA Founder Sunil KC and Director of India Foundation and BJP National General Secretary and India Think-tank Director Ram Madhav, among others.

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The seminar listed out the opportunities in the tourism sectors of Nepal and Assam.

Speaking about the initiative while emphasizing on Indo-Nepal relations, Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) Managing Director Kausar J Hilaly said, “The economic cooperation can bring the people of both the countries much closer.”

Nepal, a hot tourist destination, is looking forward to establishing tourist exchange with Assam and is offering packages and direct flights between Kathmandu and Guwahati as part of its tourism promotion activities.

During the event, Nepal Embassy Fiscal Counsellor Umakant Acharya gave a presentation on the tourism sector highlighting the opportunities, prospects and benefits of creating tourism packages for tourists that benefit both regions.

Acharya also urged the business community to invest in Nepal as he also assured them of government support for boosting business relations.

Bharat Kumar Regmi, Nepal Embassy Charge d’affaires said, “India and Nepal have been enjoying a good relationship from the Vedic period. There is so much commonality between Nepal and Assam as far as tourism is concerned. The Kamakhya temple in Assam and Pashupatinath temple in Nepal- both are the most attractive religious pilgrimage sites.”

A large number of tourists visiting Nepal can be offered a combined package tour to visit Assam and the Northeast, and tour operators from the city can tie up with travel agents in Nepal to provide services like adventure tourism, adds Regmi.

Strengthening his stance further, Regmi talks about Nepal’s political and economic status and pitched on the need to invest in Nepal.

FICCI Northeast Advisory Council senior member Ashish Phookan was among the other dignitaries present at the event.

The Assam Government is leaving no stone unturned as part of its promotion initiatives and is planning to rope in Bollywood diva of International fame Priyanka Chopra as the brand ambassador for its tourism program.

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As part of the last meeting, the EPG team announced that they will come up with a final joint report that would address key gaps concerning the bilateral ties of the two nations.

Key recommendations made as part of the final meet include:

• Replacement of the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship with a new one
• New regulations regarding cross-border movement of people by issuing identity cards to the public
• Measures to control trafficking, extremism and terrorism
• Resetting of centuries-old bilateral ties that entail political and economic matters
• Recommendations pertaining to trade & commerce, people-to-people contact and cultural ties

Culminating all these, the two-nation EPG team would prepare a final report that will be submitted to the governments of both the nations for further action.

We have prepared a joint report and with this, the meeting is over. Once we submit the report to both the PMs, our task and responsibility is over

                                                         –Bhekh Bahadur Thapa, EPG Coordinator, Nepal

Another member of the team said the discussions were focused on redefining bilateral ties that suitable for the coming generation.

“Some of the good gestures and positive developments on both sides led to a single report within the stipulated time,” said the officials.

The group was formed with an intention of formulating mutually-agreed documents within a two-year period to strengthen bilateral ties in line with the changing local and global scenario.

The EPG group with officials of both the nations was initiated as part of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bilateral visit to Nepal in 2004.

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Oli’s New Delhi visit gains significance in the light of a long-awaited political transformation in Nepal following the Communist Alliance’s grand victory in the recently-concluded Nepal general elections.

This visit holds high value for the Indo-Nepal bilateral relations which have been facing little odds in the recent times owing to a misconception that Nepal is moving pro-China.

At this juncture, Oli’s three-day bilateral visit to India is coming as a needed boost to the Indo-Nepal diplomatic ties strengthening the ties to the next level.

Constructive and Development-Focused

In a recently-held parliamentary meeting, Oli informed about his agenda and key priorities to be raised with the Indian side in his upcoming visit.

“We will go unified for the development and the promotion of the nation. We obviously will go forward in the developmental activities and will maintain harmonious relations with our neighboring nations for the purpose of development and prosperity,” Oli said in his address to the Nepali Parliament.

Oli assured of taking up no such activity that fragments the unity or spring up the feeling of disparity developing the relation of mutual benefit and understanding between the two countries and pressed on bringing up piled-up issues in the discussions for early completion.

“Our Southern neighbor is ready to assist in Nepal’s development,” Oli said in a statement, adding that the focus will be more on the pending projects.

“Rather than piling up new agreements and forgetting about them, we’ll focus on how to make tangible progress on past agreements and in areas of cooperation,” said Oli.

Nepali Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said, “There is no alternative to excellent bilateral relations between Nepal and India despite some twists & turns in the recent past.”

“Expect a visit that sets the course for the future of ties between India and Nepal. This won’t be about the nitty-gritty of agreements, but about putting the past behind us and presenting big ideas for moving ahead,” said an Indian official.

Matters on Priority

As part of his visit, Oli is expected to hold special discussions with his counterpart Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, followed by meetings with businessmen and Nepali diaspora in New Delhi.

“I will discuss the projects that were committed to be reconstructed by India after the devastating earthquake,” Oli said in his address to the Nepali Parliament.

He laid due priority to railway and reconstruction projects, Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project (PMP) and postal highway completion, among others.

Connectivity is also expected be in the top priority list in the Oli-Modi discussion with special focus on border management, cross-border railways, trade and energy.

Agreements related to agriculture sector, inland water navigation through Koshi River and cargo movement through transit points are also likely to be signed.

Demonetization is another major area that the Nepali PM is keen on discussing about with the Indian side. Towards this end, Oli is most likely to push India to exchange billions of banned demonetized Indian currency notes held in Nepal. Nepal has around Rs 950 crore worth demonetized notes lying with its individuals and informal sectors.

“The Indian demonetization has hurt Nepali nationals. I will raise this in my meetings with Indian leaders and request them to resolve the issue,” Oli said in a statement.

As a Chair for SAARC and BIMSTEC, Nepal is also expected to seek India’s regional and sub-regional cooperation with special emphasis on the upcoming SAARC Summit.

Both the Prime Ministers are set to jointly lay a foundation stone of the 900 MW capacitive Arun III hydro project and will also inaugurate the Integrated Check Post at the Birgunj-Raxaul border built over a seven-year period.

Overall, Oli’s visit is expected to open new ways for strengthening Indo-Nepal cooperation.

“The visit will provide an opportunity to the two sides to review wide-ranging cooperative partnership and progress it further for the benefit of people of two countries. The entourage of the Prime Minister will comprise Ministers, Members of Parliament, Secretaries and other high-ranking officials of the Government of Nepal,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal said in a statement.

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With this decision, India’s financial aid to Nepal for the new financial year steps up to Rs 650 crore, a 73 percent rise over the previous year, wherein, the allocation was Rs 375 crore.

Besides Nepal, India has also decided to give financial aid of Rs 1,813 crore to Bhutan for the coming financial year, the highest among other recipient nations receiving aid from India for FY 2018-19.

“India and Nepal have close civilizational and cultural ties, and a wide-ranging and expanding partnership across diverse sectors, which stand firmly on their own. The Indian Government is committed to advancing its development partnership to Nepal as per their priorities,” said the Indian Parliamentary Committee report on External Affairs.

The report further noted that the allocation of funds to both the countries also reflects India’s commitment to support both the countries towards expediting the development of ongoing projects, among other activities in coordination with the respective governments.

This news gains significance in the light of Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s likely visit to India in the first week of April 2018.

Though a formal announcement in this regard is yet to be made, Oli’s three-day maiden trip to India after assuming office is being considered key to the foreign relations between the two countries in view of the formation of Communist-led government in Nepal.

India For a Lifeline Project with Nepal

Meanwhile, in another update indicating strong Indo-Nepal diplomatic ties, India is seeking Nepal’s help for the revival of its Yamuna River to address water concerns in the Indian capital Delhi.

This move is part of Indian PM Narendra Modi’s trans-country river-linking project that is aimed at interlinking 31 rivers and divert the excess water quantity to the arid areas.

Through this project, India is looking at bringing in water from Sharda River or Mahakali River on the Indo-Nepal border to Yamuna near Delhi.

“The proposal has been cleared by a committee of secretaries and a request has been sent to the MEA (ministry of external affairs) to initiate a dialogue with Nepal,” said Indian Secretary for Water Resources UP Singh.

The committee of secretaries has actually met Nepal to negotiate with Nepal on the 540-MW capacity Pancheshwar multi-purpose hydropower project. 

The proposed Shard-Yamuna project is being considered as a lifeline project for Yamuna and is expected to benefit four Indian States: UP, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan.

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