Nepal-India agree for cooperation in railway, agriculture and inland waterways
Kathmandu, Apr. 7: India has
agreed to construct a new electric railway line connecting the border city of
Raxaul in India with Kathmandu with Indian financial support.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli
and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Saturday agreed on the construction
of the railway line to enhance people-to-people linkages and promote economic
growth and development.
“As a first
step, it was agreed that the Government of India would, in consultation with
the Government of Nepal, carry out preparatory survey work within one year, and
the two sides would finalise the implementation and funding modalities of the
project based on the Detailed Project Report (DPR),” reads the joint statement
issued by both the prime ministers.
PM Oli assured India that the
Government of Nepal would extend full cooperation for early completion of the
requisite surveys for the new railway line.
The two leaders noted that the
stretch of the railway lines from Jayanagar to Janakpur and from Jogbani to the
Biratnagar Customs yard would be completed in 2018 and agreed to take forward
the Jayanagar-Bijalpura-Bardibas and Jogbani-Biratnagar rail link projects with
priority.
They also agreed on completing the remaining survey works of the New
Jalpaiguri-Kakarbhitta, Nautanwa-Bhairahawa and Nepalgunj Road-Nepalgunj
cross-border railway lines.
They also agreed that the
India-Nepal Joint Working Group would identify the requirements for operating
train services on these cross-border rail links, and finalise the bilateral
modalities expeditiously.
Apart from expanding rail
linkages between Raxaul and Kathmandu, the two prime ministers also agreed on a
“new partnership in agriculture” and ‘New connectivity between India and Nepal
through inland waterways’.
Oli and Modi have decided to
launch a ‘New Partnership in Agriculture’ to give fresh momentum to bilateral
cooperation in agriculture.
“The partnership
will be anchored by the ministers for agriculture of the two countries and will
focus on collaborative projects, such as agricultural research and development,
education, strengthening of supply and value chain, research in seed technology,
strengthening the infrastructure of plant protection laboratories, research in
indigenous genetic resources, animal husbandry, veterinary research and
development facilities, bio pesticides, bio fertilisers, and promoting
exchanges between the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the
Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC),” reads the statement.
The two countries have agreed to organise the first meeting
of the partnership at an early date to concretise the priority areas of mutual
interest and to develop a work plan for joint implementation.
On the occasion, India announced a pilot project on organic
farming and soil health monitoring in Nepal.
In a landmark decision, PM Oli and his counterpart Modi
agreed to develop inland waterways for the movement of cargo, providing
additional access to the sea for Nepal.
Such activities will be within the framework of trade and
transit arrangements.
“This new initiative would enable cost effective and efficient movement of
cargo. The Prime Minister of Nepal noted the enormous impact the
additional connectivity would have on the growth of business and economy of
Nepal,” reads the statement.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 8 April 2018.
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