India, Nepal seek to mend ties, sign 8 pacts

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reassured his Nepalese counterpart K P Sharma Oli India’s commitment to support reconstruction of quake-ravaged Nepal, as the two nations sought to mend ties after the recent row over the new statute of the neighbouring country.

The meeting between the two Prime Ministers in New Delhi on Saturday was followed by signing of eight pacts, including an MoU on utilization of $ 250 million grant, which is a component of India’s pledged assistance of $1 billion assistance for reconstruction of Nepal that was devastated by an earthquake on April 25 last year.

Modi, however, made it clear to Oli that New Delhi would continue to prod Kathmandu to continue its recently-initiated move to make amendments in the new Constitution of Nepal, addressing the concerns of Madhesis and other disgruntled communities of the neighbouring country.

The two Prime Ministers also remotely inaugurated a newly constituted 400 KV power transmission line Muzaffarpur at Bihar in India and Dhalkebar in Nepal.
Oli arrived in New Delhi on Friday for his maiden visit to India after taking over as Prime Minister in October last year.

His visit is also significant as it is the first high-level visit from Kathmandu to New Delhi, after relations between India and Nepal were strained due to row over the new constitution of the neighbouring country. “The drafting and announcement of the new constitution after decades of struggle is a major achievement for Nepal. I appreciate the contribution of the political leadership and all sections of the society in Nepal in its making. But its success depends on consensus and dialogue,” said Modi, when he and Oli jointly addressed media-persons after their meeting.   Oli said that one of the main purposes of his visit to New Delhi was to clear “misunderstandings” that came up in India-Nepal ties over the last few months.