MoUs and Agreements to strengthen relations between India and Nepal

To boost the bilateral relations between the two nations, India and Nepal signed seven agreements and Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) on 20 February 2016.

• •These seven agreements and MoUs have been signed during the five-day state visit of Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to India, from 19 February 2016 to 24 February 2016. Mr. Oli took office as Nepal’s Prime Minister in October 2015 and this is the first foreign visit of his tenure.

• •The MoUs exchanged includes one on the utilization of the USD 250 million grant given by India to Nepal for post-earthquake reconstruction process. It has been decided to utilze the grant in four sectors. These sectors are housing, health, education and cultural heritage.

Other agreements span on issues ranging from improving the roads in the TERAI region of Nepal, simplification of rules on transportation of goods between India and Nepal, rail facility from Vishakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh to Nepal, and the inauguration of the transmission line from Muzaffarpur-Dhalkebar.