Nepal seeks access to two additional Indian ports for trade

Nepal put forward a proposal seeking access to two additional Indian ports to facilitate trade with other nations during the two-day Joint Secretary Level meeting, which culminated on February 9.

"Nepal has presented a proposal to have access to two additional ports, namely the Mundra port in Gujarat and Dhamara port in Odisha. The Indian side has given a positive reaction over the proposal but a concrete agreement is yet to be made," an official from Nepal’s Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies informed.

Kathmandu is currently using the Indian ports of Visakhapatnam in Andra Pradesh and Haldia in Kolkata for trade.

Recommendations for an amendment to the India-Nepal Trade Treaty 1990 were one of the expected outcomes of the meeting, which commenced on February 8 in Pokhara between the two neighbours. 

It is during the discourse regarding amendments to the treaty that Nepal put forth the new proposal with the Indian side.

The Joint Secretary from Nepal’s Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Rabi Shankar Sainju, led a nine-member delegation for the talks, while his Indian counterpart Bhupinder Bhalla led a seven-member contingent.