Nepal PM Prachanda leaves for India on four-day visit

Kathmandu: Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on Wednesday left for India on a four-day official visit for talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and other leaders to further strengthen the age-old, multifaceted and cordial ties.

Prachanda is leading a high-level delegation of more than 100 members.

This will be the 68-year-old Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist) leader's first bilateral visit abroad after assuming office in December 2022.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the prime minister’s entourage comprises Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Prakash Saud, Minister for Finance Prakash Sharan Mahat.

Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Prakash Jwala, Minister for Industry Commerce and Supplies Ramesh Rijal, Chief Secretary, Secretaries, and senior government officials, the Kathmandu Post reported.

The prime minister is scheduled to attend a function organised by the Nepali Embassy in honour of his delegation today evening.

Prime Minister Dahal will address the Indian business community and meet the Indian President and Vice President in New Delhi. The prime minister is also scheduled to visit Ujjain and Indore, Madhya Pradesh after completing his engagements in New Delhi.

The two prime ministers will remotely inaugurate the railway yard in Biratnagar, the Jaynagar-Janakpur railway that has been expanded up to the Bijalpura, and the integrated check posts in Biratnagar and Nepalgunj, it said.

Prachanda would also raise long-term power trade issues with New Delhi, hoping that this "bottleneck" will be sorted out and ensure that the Himalayan nation will be a favourable market for its surplus energy.

“We will raise some issues relating to long-term power trade with India during my visit,” Prachanda told Nepal's National News Agency (RSS), according to the government daily Gorkhapatra.

Minister for Foreign Affairs N P Saud said that he is confident about the positive outcome of the visit.