General Naravane has received a sword, insignia, and a certificate of conferment order from President Bhandari during an investiture ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on November 5, 2020.

General Naravane reached Kathmandu on November 4, 2020, at the official invitation from General Purna Chandra Thapa, Chief of the Army Staff, Nepali Army.

After the award ceremony, General Naravane expressed his gratitude for the honor bestowed upon him and discussed measures to strengthen the bilateral relationship.

Other Dignitaries at the Ceremony Include:

• Nepali Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli
• Indian Ambassador Vinay M. Kwatra
• Nepali Defence Secretary Reshmi Raj Pandeand

According to the Directorate of Public Relations and Information of Nepal Army, the practice of conferring army chiefs of each other’s country with the Honorary Rank of General is a seven-decade-old tradition. Commander-in-Chief General KM Cariappa was the first Indian Army Chief to be honored with the title in 1950. Lately, in January last year, General Purna Chandra Thapa was conferred with the Honorary General of the Indian Army by Indian President Ram Nath Kovind.

This long-held tradition symbolizes the close ties between the Nepali and Indian Armies.

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Celebrating the occasion, Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli had a telephonic conversation with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu.

During the conversation, the two leaders exchanged greetings and expressed satisfaction on the bilateral relations that grew exponentially over the past 60 years.

PM Oli escalated the need for the transfer of Israel’s sophisticated technology to Nepal’s agriculture and health sectors. He also thanked Netanyahu for taking care of Nepalis in Israel.

“The Prime Ministers agreed on the exchange of high-level visits at an appropriate time for the expansion and deepening of bilateral cooperation,” stated the Nepal Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).

According to the MoFA, around 12,000 Nepali migrant workers are residing in Israel.

The conversation also covered the effective measures taken by the respective governments to contain the coronavirus spread.

Likewise, Nepali Foreign Affairs Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali and his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi exchanged greetings on the special occasion.

“The two Foreign Ministers have expressed happiness over the 60 years of friendship and cooperation between the two countries and touched upon the potential areas of expanding cooperation, including trade, human resources and agriculture, among others,” said MoFA.

Nepal was the first country in South Asia to establish diplomatic relations with the Jewish State on June 1, 1960.

Former PM Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala has set the foundation for Israel-Nepal ties by visiting the Jewish State in 1960.

Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa made the last notable visit to Israel in May 2016.

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The two Prime Ministers will officially open the check post through video conferencing at 11 A.M.

The check post has been built incorporation with India in a bid to ease the cargo trade and movement of people between two countries.

Key Points of ICP:

• Cost of the project: NPR 140 crores
• Area used: 260 acres
• Modern facilities for immigration clearance of foreign passengers and cargo
• Can handle 500 trucks per day

Integrated Check Post (ICP) Biratnagar is the second ICP on the Nepali border and the first one was built at the Raxaul-Birgunj border.

Apart from this, both the Prime Ministers will talk on the progress of the ‘post-earthquake reconstruction housing project’ in Nepal.

Earlier, Modi Government has agreed upon providing USD 1 billion for the reconstruction of 50,000 houses in the Gorkha and Nuwakot districts of Nepal. So far, 45,000 houses have been rebuilt.

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his 2-day visit on Friday with the aim to strengthen the bilateral cooperation between India and Nepal. Despite being Modi’s 3^rd visit to Nepal, this visit is the first ever ‘High Level’ visit from India since Nepal’s new government formation.

The visit came after Nepali Prime Minister, KP Sharma Oli’s visit to India. It focuses on the initiative taken by India towards building friendly relationships with Nepal. Addressing the media earlier, Modi said, “My visit closely follows the State Visit of Prime Minister Oli to India last month. These high-level and regular interactions reflect my government’s commitment to the ‘Neighborhood First’ policy, in consonance with the motto of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’.”

Narendra Modi was received by the Nepal Defence Minister Ishwor Pokharel and Chief Minister of Province-2, Lalbabu Raut among other important persons. Following this, Modi was welcomed with local music and a group of dignitaries in Janakpur.

Visit to Janaki Temple

 Modi then visited the Janaki temple in Janakpur where he offered prayers in accordance with Khodasopachar rituals. The 30-minute puja was administered by 12 priests and was attended by Nepali PM, KP Oli as well. The statue of Goddess Sita is decorated with clothes and jewels as part of the ritual. The Janaki temple is dedicated to the Goddess Sita and is reflects the Hindu Koiri Nepali architecture.

Tradition has it that the special ritual is performed only on behalf of the special guests visiting the temple.

Thousands of people from India and Nepal gathered to see the Indian PM in Janakpur. Once outside the temple, Modi described his experience saying, this is a historic moment. “It is my privilege to come here and offer prayers to Mata Janaki”. Thanking KP Oli, Narendra Modi addressed him as ‘Mere Bhai Sahib’.

Indo-Nepal Bus Route

The Indian PM was welcomed by a civic reception at the Janakpur Sub-Metropolitan City in Barhabigha ground. Talking about the bus route between Janakpur and Ayodhya, he said, “Tourism is developing at a fast pace across the world. This Ramayan Circuit has immense potential.”

During his talk, Modi announced that Janakpur and its surrounding areas would receive a grant of 1 billion for its development.

Following his public addressing, Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and KP Oli flagged off the Ayodhya-Janakpur bus service. Now a part of the Ramayan Circuit, the bus route will connect the birthplaces of Goddess Sita and Lord Ram.

After a spiritual experience and the inauguration of the bus-route at Janakpur in the region of Mithila, Modi was flown to Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal.

In Kathmandu, Modi was met by Foreign Minister of Nepal, Pradeep Gyawali followed by a ceremonial reception that included a Guard of Honor. Later in the day he met President of Nepal, Bidhya Devi Bhandari and Vice President, Nanda Bahadur Pun.

After the meetings, there were bilateral talks between KP Oli and Narendra Modi. The Nepali Prime Minister then hosted a dinner in honor of the Indian PM.

Modi’s Gift to Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, also announced that the Indian government would gift Bhabhatron Radioactive Cobalt-60 teletherapy machine to Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital in Kathmandu. This machine will benefit thousands of cancer patients waiting for treatment in the Himalayan nation.

Currently, the Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital in Kathmandu has only one Bhabhatron Radioactive Cobalt-60 telepathy machine. “The hospital was in need of radiotherapy machine for treatment of cancer. There is only one Cobalt-60 radiotherapy machine in the hospital and additional gift would help provide timely treatment to cancer patients,” said Ishwor Shrestha, Director at Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital.

Visits to Muktinath and Pashupatinath

On the morning of 12^th May, Modi visited the Muktinath Temple in the Mustang district of Nepal. The Indian PM offered prayers at the golden statue of Lord Vishnu known as Mukti Narayan at the temple.

Seated at the foot of Thorong La mountain pass, Muktinath is located at a height of 3,710 M. The temple is sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists.

The Muktinath-Chumig Gyatsa houses all the elements, earth, air, holy water and natural fire. Hindus believe that the natural fire and holy waters represents Brahma. The central belief of the Muktinath area is the veneration of Lord Vishnu in the form of Ammonites (shilas) called Salagrama-Shilas.

Modi was then welcomed with a civic reception amidst the beating of drums. He actively participated in the festivities and was seen beating a traditional Nepali dhol.

Later, in the day he visited the famous Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu. The temple is sacred to Hindus and is located on the banks of Bagmati river. Regarded as one of the oldest temples, the Pashupatinath is the temple of Shiva. Modi has visited this temple in the past but what makes this visit special is that the Indian PM becomes the first leader in the world to visit this holy shrine.

After his visit, he was invited by the President of Nepali Congress and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and other members of the Nepali Congress.

As part of his itinerary, Modi met Communist Party of Nepal (MC) Chairman, Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’. He was the former Prime Minister of Nepal. The meeting had Modi and Prachanda discuss ways of strengthening bilateral relations.

He also met Mahanta Thakur, President of the Rastriya Janata Party – Nepal, and other leaders of the party. Modi congratulated the party for their electoral performance and exchanged views on deepening the nations’ bilateral relations.

The Indian Prime Minister was honored in a civic felicitation program in the Rashtriya Sabha Griha, Kathmandu. After the ceremony, Modi was presented with a key of the city and other souvenirs by Bidya Sundar Shaka, Mayor of Kathmandu.

Foundation for 900-MW Hydroelectric Power Plant Laid

Modi was privileged to join his counterpart K P Sharma Oli in laying the foundation stone of the 900-megawatt Arun III Hydroelectric Power Plant in Tumlingtar area.

The project was initiated after permission was granted in accordance with the decision of the 30^th Meeting of IBN’s Board of Directors.

The largest capacity Hydroelectricity project, Arun III will be constructed over the next 5 years.

The Satluj Jala Vodyut Nigam Power Development Company was recently granted a license by the IBN, to generate power from the Arun III Hydropower Project. This power development company is a subsidiary of the Indian government-run Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd.

The Promise of a Golden Tomorrow

On Sunday, Nepali Prime Minister K. P. Oli addressed the Parliament and gave a brief about the Indian Prime Minister’s, 2-day state visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said that Modi had helped take Nepal-India ties to a higher level. Speaking further, he said Indian PM Modi had decided to set into action, the past pacts that were long pending. The two prime ministers have agreed to set a time frame to implement the past pacts.

Oli and Modi also discussed ways to address the trade issue between the two nations, further enabling the easy import of Nepali products like ginger and cardamom.

Oli told the parliament that India was open to the idea of mapping four new air routes. India is willing to extend its support by sending technicians to study Nepal’s proposal for the new air routes and will make a firm decision for the same by September.

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Termed as a goodwill visit, this bilateral visit is being considered as a welcoming message for the start of India’s cordial relations with the Communist-led Government of Nepal that is yet to be formed.

As part of the visit, Swaraj called on the President of Nepal Bidya Devi Bhandari and also held discussions with a wide range of high-level Nepali politicians including CPN-UML Chairman K P Sharma Oli, CPN-MC Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Chairman of Nepal’s Federal Socialist Forum Upendra Yadav, among others.

During the discussions, Swaraj assured Indian Government’s full-fledged support to Nepal in its development and also in taking ahead bilateral ties between both the nations.

“Exchange of views on advancing our multi-dimensional relationship took place,” tweeted Raveesh Kumar, Indian External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson.

In a one-one discussion with Dahal, Swaraj said, “We will extend full cooperation to Nepal in attaining political stability and development.”

In response, Dahal reportedly said, “The talks we had were very positive and constructive. We discussed about the situation emerging after the conclusion of the elections and the preparation for formation of new government. Swaraj assured that India will extend full cooperation to Nepal in her efforts towards attaining political stability and development.”

Meanwhile, the Communist Alliance is currently busy in preparing for the formation of new Nepali Government, post which, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also most likely to visit the Himalayan nation (according to CPN-UML).

“Modi telephoned Oli twice and both leaders invited each other for a visit to their countries,” informed CPN-UML Secretary Pradip Gyawali.

Gyawali also informed that the formation of Communist-led new Nepal Government and proposed unification of both the left parties will be completed by March 2018.

India’s Aid to Nepal

In an interesting update that boosts Indo-Nepal ties, India has almost doubled its financial allocation to Nepal for 2018-19 in its annual Union Budget unveiled on February 01, 2018.

Out of Rs 15, 011 crore budget of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, Nepal has been allocated a sum of Rs 650 crore for FY 2018-19 more than the previous year’s value of Rs 375 crore.

“The budgetary increase indicates it is likely to cover the earthquake reconstruction fund that was in the pipeline for some time and was discussed with the Nepalese leaders,” former Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae said in a statement.

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While 157 of the total 165 House of Representatives seats were announced so far under the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) election, the leftist alliance alone garnered a total of 106 seats.

Of this, the Communist Parties of Nepal Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) won the highest number of 74 seats followed by CPN-Maoist Centre (MC) that won 32 seats, informed the Election Commission on December 11, 2017.

With the left alliance moving towards forming majority in the Nepali Parliament, the Communist Alliance is projecting the erstwhile Prime Minister and the communist party leader Khadga Prasad Oli as its Prime Minister candidate.

Oli won from the Jhapa-5 constituency with more than 28,000 votes against the Nepali Congress candidate Khagendra Adhikari. Oli bagged 57,139 votes in total, the highest number of votes secured by any contestant in this election.

CPN Chairman Pushpa Kumar Dahal, another name in PM’s race, got elected to the Federal Parliament from the Chitwan-3 constituency for his win against the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) candidate Bikram Pandey with 48, 276 votes.

Meanwhile, the current Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba registered victory in the Dadeldhura-1 constituency against Khaga Raj Bhatta of CPN with 28, 044 votes.

Rajendra Mahato from Dhanusa-3 constituency with 30, 742 votes, Upendra Yadav from Saptari-2 constituency with 21,620 votes, Gagan Thapa from Kathmandu-4 constituency with 21, 558 votes were among others who got elected to the Nepali Federal Parliament.

With Communist alliance leading the race, experts feel Oli could be the next Prime Minister of Nepal.

“We can expect Oli to lead a stable government with the Maoists as strong allies. Once there is a political stability, he can implement a development agenda and attract foreign investment,” opines Bipin Adhikari, a constitutional expert.

Meanwhile, in Proportional Representation (PR) category, UML stands leading with 936,442 votes, followed by Nepali Congress (NC) in the second position with 878,824 votes and CPN-MC in the third position with 385,434 votes.

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