India and Nepal should intensify collaborations for common economic programme: Suresh Prabhu

India and Nepal should work together to intensify their collaboration for a common economic programme utilising their economic resources for socio-economic development, Suresh Prabhu, a sitting Indian parliamentarian and a former union minister, said on Friday.

Speaking at an interaction programme organised by Nepal-India Friendship Society in Kathmandu, Prabhu also said Nepal and India relations are multifaceted and both should jointly work to overcome challenges such as poverty and inequality.

''The two countries should work together and collaborate for a common economic programme utilising their economic resources for socio-economic development,'' said Prabhu, who is a leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Also present on the occasion was former Indian ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae who spoke on the popularity of tourism sites of Nepal.

Rae said that visits to Nepal's pilgrimage sites such as Pashupati, Muktinath, Janakpur and Lumbini by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in the recent past has helped promote Nepal's pilgrimage tourism.

He also advised governments of both the countries to promote regional tourism by connecting Lumbini, Bodhgaya, Sarnath and Kushinagar, all major Buddhist pilgrimage sites, for their common benefits.

He said Nepal was benefiting from the initiatives of India in the sector of power.

"With India recently granting permission to Nepal to sell 364 MW electricity to its free market will open up the door for economic prosperity to Nepal, pointed out Rae, adding Nepal will earn a huge foreign currency through this," he said.

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