7th INDIA NEPAL JOINT COMMISSION

Context

Recently, the 7^th meeting of the India-Nepal Joint Commission was held in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Key Agreements from the meet:

1. A Long-term agreement for the export of 10,000 MW of power to India for the next 10 years.
2. MoU signed between The Nepal Electricity Authority and India’s NTPC for cooperation in renewable energy.
3. Inauguration of 3 Cross-Border Transmission Lines which were completed with the help of India (132 kV Raxaul-Parwanipur, 132 kV Kushaha-Kataiya and New Nautanwa-Mainahiya lines).
4. Agreement between Nepal Academy of Science and Technology and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) under Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for launch of Nepali satellites.

Significance of India-Nepal relations:

1.) Historical:

1. Nepal is an important neighbor of India and occupies a special significance in its foreign policy because of the geographic, historical, cultural and economic linkages/ties that span centuries.
2. Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950:
   • The treaty addresses the equal treatment of citizens of India and Nepal in the two nations with   regard to housing, property, commerce, and travel. It also gives Nepal access to weaponry from India.

2.) Geographical:

1. Nepal shares a border with 5 Indian states- Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Sikkim and Bihar.

3.) Cultural:

1. Both countries share similar relations in terms of Hinduism and Buddhism.
2. Buddha’s birthplace Lumbini located in present day Nepal.
3. India has signed three sister-city agreements for the twinning of Kathmandu-Varanasi, Lumbini-Bodhgaya and Janakpur-Ayodhya.
4. Nepal is now part of the Buddhist Circuit.

4.) Economic:

1. India is the largest trading partner of Nepal.
2. Nepal being a landlocked country, uses India’s ports for exporting its product.

5.) Defense cooperation:

1. There are around 40 thousand Nepalese Gurkhas currently serving in the seven Gurkha regiments.
2. Both countries conduct joint military exercise ‘Surya Kiran’ every year.

7.) Energy cooperation:

1. Both countries signed a Power Exchange agreement in 1971 for meeting power requirements in border areas.
2. India is also building various power projects in Nepal e.g. Arun 3 power project.

8.) Multilateral Partnership:

• India and Nepal are part of various multilateral forums such as BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal), BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) and SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) etc.

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