Issuing a statement on Thursday, the embassy said, "Our attention has been drawn to media report and editorial regarding the statement of the Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju. Rijiju had already clarified that he was misquoted by the press."

Minister Rijiju said that the Government of India is planning a multi-storeyed Saarc Disaster Management Centre in Delhi, said the embassy statement.

In its June 29 edition, The Times of India (TOI) reported that the Indian government was planning to relocate the Saarc's Secretariat from Kathmandu to New Delhi and going to build a "multi-storeyed headquarters" for the same in its capital.

ToI had quoted Minister Rijiju as saying that the Indian Home Ministry has already "identified and shortlisted a few properties in the Indian capital and a decision will be taken very soon."

Officials here in the Saarc Secretariat and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, however, expressed ignorance over the matter. "So far, no proposal has been forwarded by the Indian side that is related to the relocation of Saarc's secretariat from Kathmandu to New Delhi. We are wondering how come such a report was published when no such proposal was forwarded to the Saarc Secretariat," said an official at the secretariat.