India hands over virtually 72 health facilities and 12 cultural heritage projects under Reconstruction Program post 2015 Earthquake at an event organized in New Delhi on Saturday, June 6, 2026. (Photo: @DrSJaishankar)
Nepal’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shisir Khanal, met with India’s Minister for External Affairs, Dr S Jaishankar, in New Delhi on Saturday to review and advance the bilateral relations between the two neighboring countries. The high-level talks resulted in several landmark announcements, including the official operationalization of a cross-border digital payment system and the handover of dozens of post-earthquake reconstruction projects funded by India.
During the meeting, the two leaders discussed key strategic areas, including trade and economic cooperation, cross-border connectivity, energy partnerships, water resources management, and the promotion of people-to-people ties through sports. They also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, pledging to accelerate the implementation of ongoing bilateral projects.
"Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the enduring partnership between the two neighboring countries," the official statement said, highlighting a mutual agreement to "further deepen and broaden the bilateral relationship through development partnerships, enhanced connectivity and strong partnership on priority areas of mutual benefit."
Following the bilateral talks, the two ministers moved from dialogue to immediate action by making three major joint announcements aimed at boosting both digital and physical infrastructure between the two nations.
First, they officially launched peer-to-peer (P2P) cross-border payment transactions, successfully operationalizing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Nepal Clearing House Limited (NCHL) and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) back in June 2023. In addition to expanding digital connectivity, India formally handed over 72 health sector and 12 cultural sector reconstruction projects in Nepal, all of which were rebuilt with Indian development assistance following the devastating earthquakes.
Finally, the nations forged a forward-looking technology partnership through a newly exchanged MoU between Kathmandu University’s Center for Digital Public Infrastructure and India's Bhashini Division, paving the way for the co-creation of a National Digital Infrastructure dedicated to a "Voice First" language translation platform.
Foreign Minister Khanal, who arrived in the Indian capital for the bilateral talks, is scheduled to conclude his official visit and return to Kathmandu on Sunday, June 7.
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