India committed to redefining ties with neighbourhood partners: EAM in Nepal

India has also decided to extend a financial package of Nepali Rs 1,000 crore (or USD 75 million) for reconstruction of infrastructure in the districts affected in the 2015 earthquake.

Inaugurating several post-quake reconstruction projects on the concluding day of his two-day visit, Jaishankar said bilateral ties between India and Nepal have made significant strides in various sectors. “In recent years, we have witnessed the real transformation of the India-Nepal relationship… Connectivity, be it physical, digital or energy-related, has become a cornerstone of this expanding collaboration, further strengthening the people-to-people linkages between our two countries,” he said in his address at the inauguration of Tribhuvan University Central Library in Kathmandu.

“The government of India is committed to moving forward on the ideals of sabka sath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas, sabka prayas and taking friendly neighbouring countries, including Nepal, along with us in our development journey,” he said.

The library, and several other reconstruction projects undertaken in Kathmandu after the 2015 earthquake, were jointly inaugurated by Jaishankar and his Nepal counterpart N P Saud. These included 25 schools, 32 health projects and a cultural heritage project undertaken by India as part of a collaborative effort in the quake’s aftermath.

During his visit, Jaishankar conveyed to the Nepali side the responsibilities the two sides shared in their efforts to build ties.  Highlighting India’s efforts in Nepal after the 2015 earthquake, he said India funded the project for construction of 50,000 houses that were completed in November 2021. India contributed $1 billion — $250 million in grants and the remaining as line of credit.

“I also communicated yesterday to Prime Minister Prachanda Ji, our decision to extend a financial package of Nepali Rs 1,000 crore for reconstruction of infrastructure in the affected districts,” Jaishankar said, a day after he called on Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’.

He also mentioned the agreements the two sides signed in the areas of power sector cooperation as well as project implementation. “I am very confident that this will positively impact the lives of the ordinary person in Nepal,” he said.

“The two sides reviewed all aspects of bilateral relations as well as areas of cooperation… The Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950, security and boundary-related matters were also discussed,” it added.

Jaishankar said PM Modi during his visit to Nepal in 2014 had given the ‘HIT’ formula for India-Nepal relations. “HIT as in H for highways I for Iways and T for Transways,” he said.