Outgoing Indian Ambassador Ranjit Rae has suggested that the Nepal government take all the parties into confidence before holding the scheduled local level elections.
Outgoing Indian Ambassador Ranjit Rae has suggested that the Nepal government take all the parties into confidence before holding the scheduled local level elections.
Speaking during a farewell programme organised by the Reporters’ Club on Friday, Rae said: “As the largest democracy in the world, India supports every move and effort made for strengthening democracy in Nepal.”
India has been consistence since the promulgation of the new constitution in 2015 that all sections and stakeholders should be on board the constitutional process in Nepal. Rae’s statement on Friday echoes this policy. This is the first Indian reaction to the government’s decision to hold the local polls on May 14.
Rae’s three-and-a-half-year term in Kathmandu comes to an end after he retires from the Foreign Service on March 1. India has yet to announce his successor. The diplomatic assignment in Kathmandu is a prized position for any Indian diplomat as it is challenging, complex and sometimes frustrating, Rae remarked. He said that Nepal-India relationship had always been cordial, adding that the countries should make it stronger in economic, social and cultural aspects. He emphasised economic cooperation between the two countries and fostering people-to-people links.
The envoy said construction of the Mahakali bridge with Indian credit would benefit the people of the far-western region in Nepal and India’s Uttarakhand in particular. The detailed project report for the Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project was targeted to be approved by June.
Highlighting the recent progress in India-funded projects in Nepal, he said Jogbani-Biratnagar and Janakpur-Jayanagar-Bardibas railways, among the five connectivity projects, were being constructed rapidly. He expressed his hope that the Hulaki Road and bus services would facilitate linkage between the peoples of the two countries. Of the proposed Koshi High Dam, the official said completion of the project would be crucial for irrigation and flood control in Bihar, India, while Nepal would have direct access to the sea.
20.12°C Kathmandu
