PM to announce aid project for Nepal

He will also offer prayers at Pashupatinath Temple

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will announce a new economic assistance project for Nepal and witness the signing of a power trade agreement between the two countries during his two-day visit to Kathmandu, which commences on Sunday.

He will also offer prayers at the Pashupatinath Temple on the bank of the Bagmati River in eastern Kathmandu on August 4, the last Monday of Shravana in Hindu calendar, which is considered an auspicious day for worshipping Lord Shiva. 

He is also likely to offer 2,500 kg of sandalwood worth Rs 1.88 crore to the temple, one of the most revered Lord Shiva shrines for Hindus.

“An important aspect of my visit to Nepal is that I will have the opportunity to offer prayers to Lord Pashupatinath on the occasion of a Monday of Shravana month,” Modi posted on Twitter on Saturday.  

The visit to Nepal is Modi’s second to a neighbouring country after taking over the top office in New Delhi on May 26. His first visit was to Bhutan in June. 

“We will identify steps to strengthen our bilateral cooperation in key sectors, including trade and investment, hydro power, agriculture and agro-processing, environment, tourism, education, culture and sports,” said Modi, who will call on Nepalese President Ram Baran Yadav and hold a meeting with his counterpart Prime Minister Sushil Koirala. 

He is also likely to have meetings with top leaders of almost all the prominent political parties of Nepal during his stay in Kathmandu.  

“I will also discuss with the Nepalese leadership and their business leaders how we can harness the full potential of the new digital age to empower and create new opportunities for the youth of the two countries,” Modi said in a statement released on the eve of his departure for Kathmandu.

Modi’s tour to Kathmandu is also the first bilateral visit by a Prime Minister of India to Nepal in 17 years. 

I K Gujral was the last Indian Prime Minister to pay a bilateral visit to Kathmandu in June 1997. Though A B Vajpayee had also travelled to Kathmandu in 2002, the visit was to attend a Saarc summit.