Nepal FM Shisir Khanal Visits India, Deepens Ties and Launches UPI Link

Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal arrived in New Delhi on June 5 for his first official visit to India. He met Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on June 6, where the two sides reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations – development cooperation, trade, connectivity, energy, people‑to‑people ties and border issues.

During the talks India virtually handed over 72 health facilities and 12 cultural‑heritage projects completed under its post‑2015 earthquake reconstruction programme. The ministers also launched a peer‑to‑peer linkage between India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Nepal’s National Payments Interface, enabling seamless cross‑border personal remittances. Both countries confirmed the completion of procedures for a Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement in criminal matters.

In a parallel development, India’s Digital India Bhashini Division and Kathmandu University signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on multilingual artificial‑intelligence, digital public infrastructure and language‑technology resources, aiming to create inclusive digital services for the region.

Khanal reiterated that Nepal places its relationship with India at the highest priority, emphasising a modern, development‑oriented partnership without “old baggage”. He also raised concerns over a recent India‑China agreement on the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage route that passes through territory claimed by Nepal, urging that Nepal be consulted on any such decisions.