Sept 15-18 confirmed for PM's India visit

Published On: September 13, 2016 01:00 AM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

Meeting with India prez, Modi on Sept 16
KATHMANDU, Sept 13: Now its official. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is paying a state visit to India from September 15 to 18.

Issuing a press statement on Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) formally informed that Prime Minister Dahal will be flying on a four-day state visit to India starting from September 15. The prime minsiter is visiting India at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

According to MoFA, the prime minister will be accompanied by his spouse Sita Dahal and will be staying at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi as the state guest of the Indian government.

The ministry has also stated that Minister for Foreign Affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat, who is currently in New Delhi in preparation for the high-level visit, will accompany the prime minister. Minister Mahat had flown to India on Sunday.

Apart from the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister Dahal will be accompanied Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Ramesh Lekhak, members of the parliament, secretaries and other officials from different ministries, media persons and representatives of business community, according to the MoFA.

During the visit, the prime minister is scheduled to attend a reception to be hosted by the the Embassy of Nepal in New Delhi on September 15. On September 16, he will attend a ceremonial reception and inspect a Guard of Honor at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. Then, he will pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat. On the same day, he is scheduled to call on President of India Pranab Mukherjee followed by an official meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

Also, some senior cabinet members of the government of India are also scheduled to call on Prime Minister Dahal. Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh and other Indian leaders are all set to call on Prime Minister Dahal.

During the visit, Prime Minister Dahal is also scheduled to inspect Nathpa Jhakri Hydropower Project in Himachal Pradesh and visit Patanjali Yogpeeth and its manufacturing units in Haridwar.

Similarly, Prime Minister Dahal is also going to interact with intellectual circle and business community in New Delhi as well as with Nepali community in India. Dahal will return home on September 18.