External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Nepal's Minister for Foreign Affairs Shisir Khanal on Saturday, 6 June held wide-ranging talks in New Delhi, agreeing to further deepen and broaden the India-Nepal bilateral relationship through development partnerships, enhanced connectivity, and cooperation on priority areas of mutual benefit. The meeting, confirmed by the Embassy of Nepal in New Delhi, covered the full spectrum of ties between the two neighbouring countries.

Key Announcements

The two Ministers made joint announcements on several concrete deliverables. These included the operationalisation of person-to-person (P2P) cross-border payment transactions under the Memorandum of Understanding between NCHL (Nepal Clearing House Limited) and NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India), originally signed in June 2023. Additionally, the handover of 72 health sector and 12 cultural sector post-earthquake reconstruction projects in Nepal — built with India's development assistance — was formally announced.

Digital Infrastructure MoU

A fresh Memorandum of Understanding was exchanged between Kathmandu University School of Engineering's Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure and Artificial Intelligence and Digital India Bhashini Division. The agreement is aimed at co-creating a National Digital Infrastructure for a 'Voice First' Language Translation Platform, marking a significant step in bilateral technology cooperation.

Breadth of Discussions

According to the Embassy's press release, the talks encompassed trade and economic cooperation, cross-border connectivity, energy partnership, water resources management, and the promotion of people-to-people ties, including through sports. Both sides also reviewed progress on ongoing bilateral projects and cooperation initiatives, exchanging views on ways to accelerate their implementation. Regional and international issues of mutual concern — including cooperation within multilateral forums — were also discussed.

Khanal Meets NSA Doval

Nepal's Foreign Minister Khanal also held a separate meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval at his office in New Delhi on Saturday. The two discussed various matters related to further strengthening Nepal-India bilateral relations, according to the Embassy. This comes amid a broader diplomatic push by Kathmandu to consolidate ties with New Delhi across security, economic, and connectivity dimensions.

What Comes Next

Nepal's Foreign Minister Khanal is scheduled to return to Kathmandu on Sunday. The operationalisation of the NCHL-NPCI payment corridor is expected to ease remittances and cross-border commerce for millions of Nepali workers and traders. With the reconstruction handover and the new digital MoU now formalised, both governments face the implementation test — translating headline agreements into on-ground outcomes.