Five key issues on the agenda during Prime Minister Shah’s India visit

In what will be his first official bilateral trip, Prime Minister Balendra Shah is set to visit India from November 22 to 25. The visit comes as Nepal seeks Indian assistance for post-flood reconstruction and aims for progress on longstanding bilateral issues . To lay the groundwork for the trip, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri was in Kathmandu this week for a two-day visit.

The visit saw discussions on many issues of bilateral importance and conspicuously left out some, including border disputes. During his visit, Shah is expected to hold delegation-level talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 23. The two sides are also expected to sign agreements and announce an economic assistance package for the disaster-stricken country.

This will be one of Kathmandu’s biggest priorities during the visit. Nepal has formally proposed $1 billion in concessional loans, $500 million in grants and another $500 million for reconstruction and rehabilitation (also likely in grant) following the August 26 floods in the Rasuwa-Bhotekoshi corridor.