By Shanker Man Singh  Navin Srivastava assumed office as the Indian ambassador to Nepal on 25 June. Just to recapitulate, Ambassador Srivastava joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1993 and began his diplomatic career in Hong Kong. He then worked at the Indian Embassy in Beijing. He also served as Counselor (Political) at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC from June 2009 to July 2012 and as Consul General of India in Shanghai, China from August 2012 to July 2015. Worked in Cambodia from August 2015 to May 2017, he also served as Director General and Corporate Secretary of New Development Bank, Shanghai, China as Chairman and Board from June 2017 to June 2019. With headquarters in New Delhi, Ambassador Srivastava has served in the Office of the Department of Disarmament and International Security Affairs and the Foreign Secretary. Prior to joining his current assignment, he was in-charge of the East Asia Division at the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, which oversees India's relations with China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mongolia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Srivastava holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi and a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland, USA. On the above background, Nepal has received an experienced, capable and senior diplomat as the Indian envoy. Nepal, a landlocked country, relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services. India has access to Nepal's sea and imports a significant proportion of its needs from India. The Indo-Nepal Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1950 is the cornerstone of the special relationship between the two countries. With regard to the distribution of technical assistance, Nepalis are of the view that it can be developed as a government-to-business or G2B subsidized project in other countries to facilitate channeling of recipients to the fund. Infrastructure Management ICDs/ICPs under Nepal Private Sector. It has become mandatory to include shipping in trade and transit agreements. Despite the progress made in the trade agreement, Nepali traders still face many obstacles in transporting goods from Indian soil. The volume of trade at the Kolkata port is increasing and currently 70 per cent is transit from Kolkata and 30 percent from Bijagapatnam. Due to lack of adequate railway containers, Birgunj Inland container depot overcrowded, lack of full operation etc. Nepal Bound Cargo has to complete the compliance process under 37 different document steps, which takes an additional 3.4 days. "There seems to be a need to implement a single window system and to reduce the number of days spent on cargo management, there needs to be validation of online documents." Bulk cargo checkpoints should be open at other checkpoints such as Rupedia/Nepalgunj, Belahiya/Sunauli, Jogbani/Biratnagar except Raxaul/Birgunj Expedition and Integrated Check Post (ICP) should be implemented immediately. Implementing an electronic cargo tracking system, Nepal will have to make better use of the Visakhapatnam port and ask for a Dharma port for future transportation. For the effective operation of the Vizag port for Nepal, there are key issues that need to be addressed. Nepal is facing a growing trade deficit with India, which is a matter of serious concern for Nepal's economic and sustainable development. Therefore, we fully expect the cooperation and support of the Government of India in this regard. Especially in terms of fully implementing non-tariff measures, accreditation, etc. on Nepali exported goods. Request with Government of India: Our request is to ensure mutual trade relations. This will help in creating a conducive environment for the export of Nepali products to the Indian market. The private sector seeks to operate in a free and fair environment where both governments work collectively to encourage private sector investment and welcome India and Nepal with open arms. There are ample opportunities to invest in Nepal. This is the right time to invest in big projects, especially when we are talking about helping Nepal. Due to its strategic geographical location, Nepal can be an ideal place for the Indian private sector to base its business. From Nepal, they can simultaneously enter the markets of India and China, the two most populous countries in the world. Apart from this, there is always a local Nepali market available. If you have any doubts about the return on investment from Nepal, we want you to look at the success stories of Ncell, Dabur, Unilever, Surya Nepal, which are surprisingly small in Nepal with relatively little investment. There are immense opportunities and possibilities in the hydropower sector. Indian companies have already entered into hydropower projects. Along with the construction of east-west railways along the southern length of Nepal, there is also great potential for north-south highways to facilitate Indo-China trade. Many years after the Eminent Persons’ Group (EPG) was formed to suggest a review of the treaty between Nepal and India, the Indian side has been reluctant to understand it. According to the EPG report prepared by the Indian Embassy, ​​the Kalapani issue, various dimensions of economic relations as well as political relations, the new ambassador seems to have an important role to play. The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu deserves credit for always being willing, supportive and sympathetic to address the grievances of Nepal's business community. The new ambassador surely will not be an exception to this. Laboratory testing facilities will have to be developed on both sides for food items. For the import of Indian vegetables and fruits to Nepal, the Government of India is looking for new technology and infrastructure assistance. We have to look at Nepal's politics with India or India's economic diplomacy with Nepal where both countries win and neither country loses. During the visit of the Prime Minister of Nepal to India, the two Prime Ministers discussed the border dispute. The Prime Minister of Nepal had requested his Indian counterpart to resolve the border issue through an established bilateral mechanism, but the statement of the Indian side has not been mentioned. The two Prime Ministers discussed ways to promote connectivity and infrastructure through the construction of roads, railways, pipelines, transmission lines and air services. During the meeting, the Prime Minister of Nepal had requested the Prime Minister of India for additional air routes from Mahendranagar, Nepalgunj and Janakpur. The Indian Prime Minister has responded positively to various proposals for development and economic partnership between Nepal and India. A "Joint Vision" statement on energy sector cooperation was issued on the occasion. The statement included bilateral cooperation in hydropower generation, transmission and cross-border trade. This approach and understanding for Nepal, in the long run, can benefit both Nepal and India as well as other countries. India has informed us that the process of purchasing hydropower from Nepal and "clearance" has already started. The two Prime Ministers mentioned that there is great potential for accelerating economic and development partnerships in historic projects such as the Pancheshwar Hydropower Project. Both sides stressed the need to finalize the DPR of the Pancheshwar Hydropower Project as soon as possible so that the project can be implemented in mutual interest. This project, which has been going on for about 25 years, gives the impression that it has become a thing of the past On the occasion, the two Prime Ministers jointly inaugurated the Jayanagar-Kurtha passenger train service constructed with Indian assistance. He also inaugurated the 90 km long 132 KV Solu Corridor transmission line project constructed under an Indian loan. Maintaining friendly relations with Nepal is important for India not only for its “Act East and Neighborhood First” policy but also for peace and stability in the Northeast. The country has been a major partner of India in various regional and sub-regional initiatives such as the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) and sub-regional initiatives of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN). It is necessary to deepen the relationship with Nepal in the context of the changing geopolitics in the global scenario where globalization and protectionism are at the center. It will be important to develop a strong partnership in this area to counter its impact. Nepal, with its growing economic success, offers a significant partnership in this area. Both Nepal and India must adhere to the principle of "prosperity in the neighborhood", which will prevent emigration, increase employment opportunities and expand the market. On the FDI side, when we talk about Indian investment in Nepal, we should not only look at what we have achieved, but we should also focus more on the opportunities ahead. The IC crunch and rising trade deficits and rising imports of petroleum products are issues to consider. Ambassador, Srivastava, an experienced diplomat, has an immediate challenge to observe the EPG Report's progress, solve the Kalapani issue, and transit treaty, help adjust the growing trade gap, and develop hydropower and transmission lines.