By Our Reporter
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Lumbini on Monday on the occasion of Buddha Purnima. It is the first visit of an Indian PM to Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha. Earlier, India has applied its all might to mislead the world by claiming that the Buddha was born in India. Modi’s visit has corrected all these mistakes.
The visit will surely help promote Lumbini among the Indian pilgrims in the days to come.
Although Modi’s was a religious visit, the government gave it a high importance. Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba reached Lumbini with his spouse Arzu Rana to welcome the visiting Indian Prime Minister.
The two Prime Ministers held bilateral talks.
During the talks, the two discussed a broad overview of Nepal-India cooperation and matters of mutual interests with a view to further enhancing the close and cordial ties between the two countries, stated a press statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the meeting.
As per the release, the two sides discussed promoting cooperation in connectivity, supply of fertilisers, expeditious conclusion of the revised transit treaty, review of the treaty of trade, additional air entry routes, hydropower generation, culture and tourism including the Buddhist Circuit and Ramayan Circuit, academic collaboration, cooperation at regional and multilateral forums in matters of mutual interest, among other issues.
The two sides discussed infrastructure development including the dry port and integrated check posts in Chandani Dodhara as well as bridges linking Purnagiri Mai, Uttarakhand, India, and Parshuram Dham in Dadeldhura, Nepal; and Jhulaghat over the Mahakali River.
Prime Minister Deuba requested the Government of India to consider constructing Motigada-Fattepur-Rampur Road in Udaypur, Nepal under Indian grant assistance.
PM Deuba requested India to provide additional air entry routes from Mahendranagar, Nepalgunj and Janakpur.
Moreover, Prime Minister Deuba requested for seamless power trade on a long-term basis under mutually beneficial terms.
For his part, PM Modi assured that concerned Indian authorities would take up the matters.
A total of six understandings were signed and exchanged between Nepal and India during Modi’s Lumbini visit.
As per a press statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs of India, four memorandums of understanding (MoUs), one letter of agreement and one agreement were concluded during Modi’s one-day visit. They include two separate MoUs between the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Centre for Nepal and Asian Studies (CNAS) of Tribhuvan University and the Kathmandu University for the establishment of the ICCR Chair of Indian Studies. Similarly, one MoU was between ICCR and the Lumbini Buddhist University for the establishment of Dr. Ambedkar Chair of Buddhist Studies. Another MoU was between Kathmandu University and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras.
The letter of agreement was signed between Kathmandu University and the Indian Institute of Technology for the operation of a joint Master’s degree programme. Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) and the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) also signed an agreement for the development and implementation of the Arun-IV project.
The two Prime Ministers also agreed to take up the Pancheswor Project with priority.
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