President Pranab Mukherjee will pay a three-day state visit to Nepal from November 2 in the first presidential visit from India to the Himalayan neighbour in 18 years.

Mukherjee is paying the visit on the invitation of his Nepali counterpart Bidhya Devi Bhandari External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said at a briefing here on Thursday.

quot;A high-level delegation will accompany the President. This will be the first visit of the President of India to Nepal in 18 yearsquot; he said.

President Mukherjee’s visit to Nepal is expected to further cement bilateral ties which saw an upswing during the India visit of new Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ last month. The talks between the two sides during Prachanda’s visit who chose India for his first overseas tour helped dispel the unease that had crept into the bilateral ties over the earlier few months.

During his visit Mukherjee will hold meetings with the Nepali President Prime Minister ‘Prachanda’ and other leaders of Nepal on a wide array of issues of mutual interest said Swarup.

President Mukherjee will also visit the holy town of Janakpur and the lake city of Pokhara during his stay in Nepal.

The warming of India-Nepal ties comes amidst the backdrop of Chinese President Xi Jinping cancelling his maiden visit to Kathmandu which was earlier scheduled for October. The cancellation came after Prachanda chose to visit India.

China has been reportedly miffed with Nepal going slow on implementing some of the bilateral road and rail projects inked during the tenure of previous Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli who markedly leaned towards Beijing.

President Pranab Mukherjee will pay a three-day state visit to Nepal from November 2 in the first presidential visit from India to the Himalayan neighbour in 18 years.

Mukherjee is paying the visit on the invitation of his Nepali counterpart Bidhya Devi Bhandari External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said at a briefing here on Thursday.

quot;A high-level delegation will accompany the President. This will be the first visit of the President of India to Nepal in 18 yearsquot; he said.

President Mukherjee’s visit to Nepal is expected to further cement bilateral ties which saw an upswing during the India visit of new Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ last month. The talks between the two sides during Prachanda’s visit who chose India for his first overseas tour helped dispel the unease that had crept into the bilateral ties over the earlier few months.

During his visit Mukherjee will hold meetings with the Nepali President Prime Minister ‘Prachanda’ and other leaders of Nepal on a wide array of issues of mutual interest said Swarup.

President Mukherjee will also visit the holy town of Janakpur and the lake city of Pokhara during his stay in Nepal.

The warming of India-Nepal ties comes amidst the backdrop of Chinese President Xi Jinping cancelling his maiden visit to Kathmandu which was earlier scheduled for October. The cancellation came after Prachanda chose to visit India.

China has been reportedly miffed with Nepal going slow on implementing some of the bilateral road and rail projects inked during the tenure of previous Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli who markedly leaned towards Beijing.

President Pranab Mukherjee will pay a three-day state visit to Nepal from November 2 in the first presidential visit from India to the Himalayan neighbour in 18 years.

Mukherjee is paying the visit on the invitation of his Nepali counterpart Bidhya Devi Bhandari External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said at a briefing here on Thursday.

quot;A high-level delegation will accompany the President. This will be the first visit of the President of India to Nepal in 18 yearsquot; he said.

President Mukherjee’s visit to Nepal is expected to further cement bilateral ties which saw an upswing during the India visit of new Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ last month. The talks between the two sides during Prachanda’s visit who chose India for his first overseas tour helped dispel the unease that had crept into the bilateral ties over the earlier few months.

During his visit Mukherjee will hold meetings with the Nepali President Prime Minister ‘Prachanda’ and other leaders of Nepal on a wide array of issues of mutual interest said Swarup.

President Mukherjee will also visit the holy town of Janakpur and the lake city of Pokhara during his stay in Nepal.

The warming of India-Nepal ties comes amidst the backdrop of Chinese President Xi Jinping cancelling his maiden visit to Kathmandu which was earlier scheduled for October. The cancellation came after Prachanda chose to visit India.

China has been reportedly miffed with Nepal going slow on implementing some of the bilateral road and rail projects inked during the tenure of previous Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli who markedly leaned towards Beijing.

The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved a new free trade agreement between India and Bhutan which also provides for duty-free transit of Bhutanese merchandise for export to third countries.

quot;Trade relations between India and Bhutan are governed by an Agreement on Trade Commerce and Transitquot; a Commerce Ministry statement said here.

quot;The agreement provides for free trade regime between the two countries. The agreement also provides for duty-free transit of Bhutanese merchandise for trade with third countriesquot; it said.

The agreement was renewed in July 2006 for a period of 10 years.nbsp;

The validity of the agreement was extended with effect from July 29 2016 for a period of one year or till the new agreement comes into force through the exchange of diplomatic notes the statement added.

The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved a new free trade agreement between India and Bhutan which also provides for duty-free transit of Bhutanese merchandise for export to third countries.

quot;Trade relations between India and Bhutan are governed by an Agreement on Trade Commerce and Transitquot; a Commerce Ministry statement said here.

quot;The agreement provides for free trade regime between the two countries. The agreement also provides for duty-free transit of Bhutanese merchandise for trade with third countriesquot; it said.

The agreement was renewed in July 2006 for a period of 10 years.nbsp;

The validity of the agreement was extended with effect from July 29 2016 for a period of one year or till the new agreement comes into force through the exchange of diplomatic notes the statement added.

The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved a new free trade agreement between India and Bhutan which also provides for duty-free transit of Bhutanese merchandise for export to third countries.

quot;Trade relations between India and Bhutan are governed by an Agreement on Trade Commerce and Transitquot; a Commerce Ministry statement said here.

quot;The agreement provides for free trade regime between the two countries. The agreement also provides for duty-free transit of Bhutanese merchandise for trade with third countriesquot; it said.

The agreement was renewed in July 2006 for a period of 10 years.nbsp;

The validity of the agreement was extended with effect from July 29 2016 for a period of one year or till the new agreement comes into force through the exchange of diplomatic notes the statement added.

Russia has handed over to the Netherlands raw radar data from the area where Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was downed over rebel-held eastern Ukraine in 2014 Moscow confirmed on Friday.

quot;We gave the Dutch side raw radar data which we discovered a month agoquot; foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told AFP.

She spoke after Dutch Justice Minister Ard van der Steur told parliament on Thursday that Russian prosecutors had handed quot;a packet of informationquot; to the Dutch embassy in Moscow.

He said he could not give details because the contents needed to be assessed to see if they were useful for the investigation.

Russia’s defence ministry in late September released what it claimed were new radar images showing that there was no missile fired from rebel-held territory on the day of the MH17 flight in July 2014 contradicting some of its earlier declarations.

The ministry released the images to journalists two days before the Dutch-led international team of criminal investigators released initial findings on September 28 into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that found the missile was transported from Russia.

The Dutch-led investigative team which has spent two years investigating the crash that killed all 298 people on board the Boeing 777 said at the time that Russia had not given them this new radar data.

Ukraine and the West insist pro-Russian rebels blew the jet out of the sky with a Russian-made Buk missile system likely supplied by Moscow.

The tragedy saw the European Union slap tougher sanctions on Russia — blamed by the West for being behind the rebellion. The punitive measures remain in place as the fighting drags on.

But Russia and the rebels have consistently denied any role in downing the plane and have instead blamed Ukrainian government forces.nbsp;

Russia has handed over to the Netherlands raw radar data from the area where Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was downed over rebel-held eastern Ukraine in 2014 Moscow confirmed on Friday.

quot;We gave the Dutch side raw radar data which we discovered a month agoquot; foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told AFP.

She spoke after Dutch Justice Minister Ard van der Steur told parliament on Thursday that Russian prosecutors had handed quot;a packet of informationquot; to the Dutch embassy in Moscow.

He said he could not give details because the contents needed to be assessed to see if they were useful for the investigation.

Russia’s defence ministry in late September released what it claimed were new radar images showing that there was no missile fired from rebel-held territory on the day of the MH17 flight in July 2014 contradicting some of its earlier declarations.

The ministry released the images to journalists two days before the Dutch-led international team of criminal investigators released initial findings on September 28 into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that found the missile was transported from Russia.

The Dutch-led investigative team which has spent two years investigating the crash that killed all 298 people on board the Boeing 777 said at the time that Russia had not given them this new radar data.

Ukraine and the West insist pro-Russian rebels blew the jet out of the sky with a Russian-made Buk missile system likely supplied by Moscow.

The tragedy saw the European Union slap tougher sanctions on Russia — blamed by the West for being behind the rebellion. The punitive measures remain in place as the fighting drags on.

But Russia and the rebels have consistently denied any role in downing the plane and have instead blamed Ukrainian government forces.nbsp;

Russia has handed over to the Netherlands raw radar data from the area where Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was downed over rebel-held eastern Ukraine in 2014 Moscow confirmed on Friday.

quot;We gave the Dutch side raw radar data which we discovered a month agoquot; foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told AFP.

She spoke after Dutch Justice Minister Ard van der Steur told parliament on Thursday that Russian prosecutors had handed quot;a packet of informationquot; to the Dutch embassy in Moscow.

He said he could not give details because the contents needed to be assessed to see if they were useful for the investigation.

Russia’s defence ministry in late September released what it claimed were new radar images showing that there was no missile fired from rebel-held territory on the day of the MH17 flight in July 2014 contradicting some of its earlier declarations.

The ministry released the images to journalists two days before the Dutch-led international team of criminal investigators released initial findings on September 28 into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that found the missile was transported from Russia.

The Dutch-led investigative team which has spent two years investigating the crash that killed all 298 people on board the Boeing 777 said at the time that Russia had not given them this new radar data.

Ukraine and the West insist pro-Russian rebels blew the jet out of the sky with a Russian-made Buk missile system likely supplied by Moscow.

The tragedy saw the European Union slap tougher sanctions on Russia — blamed by the West for being behind the rebellion. The punitive measures remain in place as the fighting drags on.

But Russia and the rebels have consistently denied any role in downing the plane and have instead blamed Ukrainian government forces.nbsp;

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday decided to form 10 Groups of Secretaries which will work on various sectors like agriculture energy and transport and submit their reports by the end of next month.

The decision was announced as the Prime Minister met all Secretaries to the Government of India here. Cabinet Ministers and Ministers of State for Independent Charge were also present at the meeting.

At the meeting Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha made a brief presentation on the work done as a follow up to the reports presented by 8 Groups of Secretaries to the Prime Minister in January this year a PMO statement said.

The rapporteurs for two out of the eight groups also made presentations on the status of implementation of the recommendations of their groups the statemnet said.

quot;Ten new Groups of Secretaries are being formed who will submit their reports on various Governance issues by the end of Novemberquot; the PMO said.

quot;As compared to the earlier groups which worked on specific themes the focus of the groups this time will be on sectors such as agriculture energy transport etcquot; it added.

Addressing the Secretaries Modi complimented them for the work done by them as part of the 8 thematic groups in the month of January.

He urged them to undertake a critical review of the work done by the Union Government in the respective sectors that they will be studying. He also asked them to engage young officers to research related issues the PMO statement said.

Speaking of demographic dividend the Prime Minister said all groups must prioritize harnessing the strengths of the 800 million youth of India as part of their recommendations.

He said the team of Secretaries to the Government of India has the collective wisdom and experience to create policies to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of India s people. He exhorted them to put their best foot forward to the task ahead the statement said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday decided to form 10 Groups of Secretaries which will work on various sectors like agriculture energy and transport and submit their reports by the end of next month.

The decision was announced as the Prime Minister met all Secretaries to the Government of India here. Cabinet Ministers and Ministers of State for Independent Charge were also present at the meeting.

At the meeting Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha made a brief presentation on the work done as a follow up to the reports presented by 8 Groups of Secretaries to the Prime Minister in January this year a PMO statement said.

The rapporteurs for two out of the eight groups also made presentations on the status of implementation of the recommendations of their groups the statemnet said.

quot;Ten new Groups of Secretaries are being formed who will submit their reports on various Governance issues by the end of Novemberquot; the PMO said.

quot;As compared to the earlier groups which worked on specific themes the focus of the groups this time will be on sectors such as agriculture energy transport etcquot; it added.

Addressing the Secretaries Modi complimented them for the work done by them as part of the 8 thematic groups in the month of January.

He urged them to undertake a critical review of the work done by the Union Government in the respective sectors that they will be studying. He also asked them to engage young officers to research related issues the PMO statement said.

Speaking of demographic dividend the Prime Minister said all groups must prioritize harnessing the strengths of the 800 million youth of India as part of their recommendations.

He said the team of Secretaries to the Government of India has the collective wisdom and experience to create policies to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of India s people. He exhorted them to put their best foot forward to the task ahead the statement said.

In a retaliatory step by Pakistan an Indian High Commission official Surjit Singh was declared persona non grata.nbsp; Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Gautam H Bambawale was summoned on Thursday late evening.

The development came soon after after news of multiple unprovoked Pakistani attack on Indian posts at Poonch Tangdhar Mendharm Hiranagar Sambha and Kupwara. Reports said it was quot;very heavy firingquot; and Pakistani forces were reported to have moved close to the Line of Control.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh directed Director General BSF to return fire.

Meanwhile voices to send back Pakistan ambassador Abdul Basit became louder as the day which marked the arrest and subsequent release of Pakistani diplomat progressed.

Acording to twitterati Indians were near unanimous in feeling that a diplomat working with Basit was a clear indication that the quot;spy ringquot; was sponsored by Pakistan.nbsp;

nbsp;

In a retaliatory step by Pakistan an Indian High Commission official Surjit Singh was declared persona non grata.nbsp; Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Gautam H Bambawale was summoned on Thursday late evening.

The development came soon after after news of multiple unprovoked Pakistani attack on Indian posts at Poonch Tangdhar Mendharm Hiranagar Sambha and Kupwara. Reports said it was quot;very heavy firingquot; and Pakistani forces were reported to have moved close to the Line of Control.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh directed Director General BSF to return fire.

Meanwhile voices to send back Pakistan ambassador Abdul Basit became louder as the day which marked the arrest and subsequent release of Pakistani diplomat progressed.

Acording to twitterati Indians were near unanimous in feeling that a diplomat working with Basit was a clear indication that the quot;spy ringquot; was sponsored by Pakistan.nbsp;

nbsp;