PM Narendra Modi to visit Nepal today, security arrangements in place

Zee Media Bureau

Kathmandu: Narendra Modi, who will on Sunday become the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Nepal in 17 years, will be accompanied by a 101-member delegation including seven ministers. Also, Modi will be the first foreign leader to address the Nepalese Constituent Assembly-cum-Parliament today. The address is scheduled at 4:25 pm. Nepal`s Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, who was in New Delhi during Modi`s swearing-in ceremony, will receive the Indian PM at the Tribhuvan International Airport here. Modi will be in Nepal August 3-4. Nepal is the second neighbouring country the PM will be visiting after Bhutan in June. Notably, the last bilateral visit by an Indian PM to Nepal was by IK Gujral in June 1997. Indian prime ministers have gone to Nepal but as part of multilateral visits. The Prime Minister will on Monday offer prayers at the famed fifth-century Pashupatinath Hindu temple. Special security arrangements have been put in place for Modi`s visit to Nepal. On Saturday, the Prime Minister said he was "excited" about his visit to Nepal that reflects the two nations` "shared heritage of nature, history, culture, spiritualism and religion". "I am excited about my visit and pleased that I am able to go there within weeks of assuming office as prime minister," Modi said in a pre-departure statement. Both countries would discuss a range of bilateral relations and some agreements are likely to be inked, including in the field of hydropower. Modi said he was delighted that Prime Minister Sushil Koirala had graced his swearing-in ceremony, "which demonstrated the solidarity of the people of Nepal with India and our shared commitment to democracy". The Prime Minister said the visit will give an opportunity for detailed discussion on bilateral ties. Modi`s visit comes a week after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj went to Kathmandu. During her visit, the two countries revived their joint commission after a gap of 23 years. A series of tweets from the PM also revealed that he would be taking a boy he has been supporting for years back to his parents. "...Long back, I met a young, helpless boy named Jeet Bahadur who had no idea about his whereabouts and also did not understand language properly... Inspired by the almighty, I started worrying about his future and soon he developed an interest in studies and also started understanding Gujarati...," Modi said. Some time back, he managed to find Bahadur`s parents and said it was all possible because the boy has "six fingers on his toes". "I am glad that I will hand over their son to them tomorrow (Sunday)," he added. (With Agency inputs)