Any commentator worth her name cannot but engage with the fact that Balendra Shah is now the mayor of Kathmandu. Indeed, there were other independents equally successful. Most notable among them were Gopal Hamal of Dhangadhi and Harka Sampang of Dharan.
Stocks’ reaction to the just-concluded local elections in Nepal can be described as ranging from nonchalant to downright depressing. The NEPSE, the country’s sole stock exchange, was already caught in a downward spiral after peaking at 3227 last August.
Nepal’s economy, as an expert recently put it, lacks depth, and this implies it is at risk of an economic crisis despite the statistics not showing any cause for immediate alarm.
Nepal's Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Saturday said that his government is committed to taking back the "disputed land currently occupied by India".
Getting India-Nepal ties back on an even keel is perhaps the most urgent task for the Indian foreign policy establishment in the neighbourhood.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted, "PM @narendramodi holds bilateral talks with PM @SherBDeuba in Lumbini. Opportunity to strengthen ongoing cooperation and develop new areas in our multifaceted partnership."
The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank both have made their views clear on why it is not a crisis that is being projected.
According to the country’s central bank (Nepal Rastra Bank or NRB), foreign currency reserves dropped by over 16 per cent to $9.59 billion in the seven months leading up to February 2022.
"Nepal Prime Minister Deuba has accepted the invitation of BJP Chief Nadda and accordingly he will be visiting the party headquarters"
The temporary setbacks in relations between India and Nepal are now a thing of the past, bilateral relations between Delhi and Kathmandu have been improving steadily since Nepali Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba took over as the Prime Minister of Nepal in July 2021. Deuba will be arriving in Delhi on April 1, 2022, on a three-day visit, his first foreign visit since taking over as the Prime Minister of the Himalayan country. It is expected that the visit will inject a new momentum to the bilateral ties, especially in areas of trade, investment, healthcare and connectivity.
