Kathmandu [Nepal], Sept 15 – Nepal’s Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle will visit New Delhi on September 17 and 18 to discuss economic cooperation with India, with reconstruction following the devastating floods expected to be a key focus, sources told Kathmandupati.
During the two-day visit, Wagle is expected to meet his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman and other senior Indian officials, according to the sources.
The visit comes weeks after the August 26 floods and landslides caused extensive damage across Nepal including to hydropower and other critical infrastructure.
Wagle is also expected to meet Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal during the visit.
Apart from official meetings, the Nepali Finance Minister will address an event organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry and deliver a lecture at the Delhi School of Economics.
India has provided emergency assistance to Nepal following the August 26 disaster. An Indian search and rescue team has been deployed at the Chilime Hydropower Project in Rasuwa, while eight consignments of relief material have been sent to Kathmandu.
Energy cooperation is also expected to feature prominently during the visit, after India approved additional electricity exports to Nepal following flood damage to the country’s hydropower infrastructure.
India’s Power Ministry has approved the export of up to 600 MW through the Muzaffarpur-Dhalkebar 400 kV transmission line and up to 54 MW through the Tanakpur-Mahendranagar 132 kV line for 18 hours a day from September 13 to December 31.
The approval allows Nepal to import additional electricity as damage to hydropower infrastructure has reduced its domestic generation capacity.
The visit will be Wagle’s first high-level trip to India since the August 26 disaster and comes as Nepal begins assessing the scale of resources required for recovery and reconstruction.
