Kathmandu, January 4
External Affairs Minister of India Subrahmanyam Jaishankar arrived in Kathmandu on Thursday morning to take part in the seventh meeting of the Nepal-India Joint Commission.
Jaishankar was received at the Tribhuvan International Airport by Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud, Foreign Secretary Sewa Lamsal and other officials, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Indian External Affairs Minister is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on the President, the Prime Minister and other political party leaders, before a bilateral meeting with his Nepali counterpart at the Nepal-India Joint Commission. He will return home tomorrow.
During his visit, the agreement is likely to be signed on power trade. Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation has confirmed that the previous agreement on Nepal’s export of 10,000 MW electricity to India in 10 years is being materialised with the signing of the agreement.
Meanwhile, the officials have informed that three important transmission lines are being inaugurated.
An agreement was reached in this connection in the course of the India visit of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
On the occasion, PM Dahal’s Indian counterpart Narendra Modi announced that India was going to import electricity produced in Nepal in a long-term manner.
Earlier, the Cabinet of India had approved the agreement regarding power import. Secretaries of both countries are signing the memorandum of understanding during the Nepal visit of Minister of External Affairs of India S Jaishankar.
It will pave the way for different government and private companies to deal with electricity by signing power purchase agreements in a short, mid and long-term manner.
In the wake of the Indian External Affairs Minister’s visit to Nepal, a joint secretary (Energy Ministry) level meeting between Nepal and India decided to enhance the capacity of the Dhalkebar-Mujaffapur 400-KV interstate transmission line.
The meeting further discussed speeding up the construction of the new Butwal-Gorakhpur interstate transmission line, constructing two more interstate transmission lines and intensifying mega projects.
