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Experts for Boosting Indo-Nepal Ties in Security, Power Sector

  • Experts and scholars today underlined the need for India and Nepal to deepen bilateral cooperation in the field of security and energy sectors for bilateral benefits as the interests of the two countries are "intertwined"."India is always with the people of Nepal in their transition to democracy," said Shiv Shanker Mukherjee, the former Indian Ambassador to Nepal, stressing on the need to change the stereotype mindset in Nepal-India ties.Speaking at a Foreign Policy Conclave jointly organized by Ministry of External Affairs and Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) with the support of Nepalese Economic Journalist Society, he said India wants to help Nepal in the task of concluding the peace process and drafting the new constitution so as to build a peaceful, prosperous and stable Nepal.
  • Nepal is struggling to draft a new constitution and conclude the landmark peace accord that led to the end of a decade-long Maoist insurgency in the country in 2006.Indian Ambassador to Nepal Jayant Prasad argued for boosting the hydro power potential of Nepal for the economic development of the country.Nepal has attracted USD 250 million foreign investment in hydropower sector in the last 25 years, Prasad said, arguing that if the hydro power survey licenses issued by Nepal government to various companies for generating 8,000 MW of electricity could be turned into power generating agreements it can lead to USD 15 billion foreign investments within the next three to five years.
  • He also stressed the need for Nepalese businessmen to explore the neighbouring markets of north India.If Nepal can produce goods by using the benefits of markets in north and eastern India, it can become one of the the prosperous nations in South Asia in two decades.Indian scholar S D Muni said India does not believe in the theory of intervention with regards to the affairs of any country, including Nepal.India''s security interest, energy crisis and international status are three major areas in which Nepal can cooperate with it, said Muni, a former professor at School of International Studies, JNU.
  • He underlined that the interests of the two countries are intertwined.Jaya Raj Acharya, former Nepalese Ambassador to the United Nations, said Nepal should give high priority to its relations with neighbouring countries like India and China.He underlined the need to for Nepal to take benefits from the two most rapidly growing economies in its neighbouhood.Minister for Industry Anil Kumar Jha said Nepal needs to properly implement the recently concluded Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) and Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) inked between Kathmandu and New Delhi in order to boost foreign investment and economic development in the country.

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