Nepal PM starts India visit on May 31, to meet PM Modi on June 1

Prachanda, 68, will be accompanied by his daughter, Ganga Dahal. He is visiting India at the invitation of Modi and will lead a delegation comprising ministers, secretaries and senior government officials, Nepal’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

In New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that the visit continues the tradition of “regular high-level exchanges between India and Nepal in furtherance of our ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy”.

During his visit, Prachanda is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

On June 1, he will hold delegation-level talks with Modi, followed by a joint press meet by the two Prime Ministers, the Nepal foreign ministry stated.

“This is the fourth visit of Prime Minister ‘Prachanda’ to India as the Prime Minister of Nepal. The visit will further strengthen the age-old, multifaceted, and cordial relations between Nepal and India,” according to the statement. “The Prime Minister [Prachanda] will address the Nepal-India Business Summit in New Delhi jointly organised by the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Confederation of Indian Industry and interact with business leaders of both countries.”

Prachanda will also interact with the Nepalese community in India over a welcome reception being hosted by the country’s ambassador to India, Shankar Prasad Sharma, the statement said. Prachanda is scheduled to visit Ujjain and Indore in Madhya Pradesh before returning to Kathmandu on June 3, it added.

The MEA stated: “The bilateral relations between the two countries have significantly strengthened in the last few years in all areas of cooperation. This visit underscores the importance given by both sides in adding further momentum to the bilateral partnership.”