New Avenues of India-Nepal Relations: The Way Forward

Key Takeaways

1.    The people-to-people relationship between the two countries have been smooth. There has been some disruptions at the government-to-government level but since there is strong relationship at the people-to-people level that the disruptions at the government-to-government level gets mended in short period of time.

2.    The way the map row was handled by the present government is not the right way. The handling of this issue has complicated the issue further and this will have serious repercussions for both the countries in future.

3.    The four areas of cooperation which can be the way forward for both countries can be are democracy, people, youth and timely delivery of projects.

4.    Nepal should invest in its tourism sector and built cultural tourism to attract Indian tourist. In 2019-20 there were close to 27 million Indians who went abroad but very few came to Nepal.

5.    Trafficking is a major issue along the border. According to Human Rights Watch report, in 2018-19 around 15,000 women and 5,000 girls were trafficked from Nepal. It increased during COVID-19.This is one area where both governments should cooperate and take steps to curb it.

6.    Managing the bilateral relations from the common man’s point of view has to be encouraged. Both countries must revisit the chains of prospects and the small issues which should be tackled before moving on to the larger issues care.

7.    India should adopt people centric approach and aim for people centric development. Investment in dairy and agriculture sector. It can share its knowledge on these fields.

8.    India needs electricity and it is planning to decarbonise its electricity production. This provide Nepal opportunity to work in the areas of solar energy and hydroelectric and sell it to India. This will help it  increase its cash flow and reduce its trade deficit to India by selling electricity which will lead to its GDP growth leading to better quality of life for its people.

9.    The way forward for India-Nepal relationship is the formula of ‘GREEN’ i.e. Growth with Renewable Energy Entrepreneurship and Nature.

10.Disaster management and pandemic management are the low hanging fruit for India. India has always been the first responder in any natural calamities. It has also provided continuous healthcare services during the COVID-19 and also promised vaccine for the people of Nepal.