India gives Nepal $1.6m to fight floods

August 20th, 2009 LUCKNOW - At least seven people, including three children, have been killed in floods in Uttar Pradesh triggered by heavy rains and the release of a huge amount of water from barrages in Nepal, officials said Thursday. While the casualties were reported from Bahraich and Lakhimpur districts in the last two days, floods have also inundated villages in Shrawasti, Sitapur, Sant Kabir Nagar, Kushinagar and Maharajganj districts.

August 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Nepal's Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal will arrive here Tuesday for a five-day visit - his first trip to India after becoming premier. Nepal is expected to hold talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

August 14th, 2009 KATMANDU - Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal on Friday hinted that Nepal and India may reach an agreement on starting some new projects during his visit to India. Saying that his visit is aimed at strengthening mutual understanding and bilateral ties, he urged everyone not to view his visit with suspicion.

July 31st, 2009 KATHMANDU - At least nine people were killed and four injured after landslides hit three districts in western Nepal, officials said Friday. The landslides followed heavy monsoonal rains since Thursday night.

July 13th, 2009 KATHMANDU - India's Minister for Water Resource and Parliamentary Affairs Pawan Kumar Bansal has said India is concerned about the long-term solution for Koshi Dam breach. Bansal who inspected the Koshi breach area in Sunsari and the reconstruction works at the dam on Sunday said India is serious about the problems caused by Koshi Dam and disclosed that the concerned authorities have been directed to take up all necessary measures including reconstruction works at the Koshi Dam.

June 12th, 2009 KATHMANDU - India on Thursday said the work carried out by the Indian contractor company commissioned for the reconstruction of flood-breached Koshi embankment is satisfactory. A joint inspection team headed by Bihar government's Minister for Water Resources Bijendra Prasad Yadav and Indian Ambassador to Nepal Rakesh Sood expressed satisfaction over the timely completion of the Koshi Breach Closure Works.

June 11th, 2009 KATHMANDU - The Government teams of Nepal and India are to carry out joint inspection of the repair works at the damaged Koshi embankment on Thursday. Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Minister of Water Resources, Government of Bihar, Indian Ambassador to Nepal Rakesh Sood, Ajay Nayak, principal at the Bihar state government's Department of Water Resources, Mahendra B.

June 9th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Indian Ambassador to Nepal Rakesh Sood said on Tuesday that a joint committee is working towards finalisation of a boundary map between India and Nepal to resolve the border issue that has long been in contention. "The technical-level committee is working towards finalisation of the map," Rakesh Sood said.

June 9th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Nepal and India signed four Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) aimed at fostering cooperation under the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) framework here on Monday. The MOUs were signed by Foreign Secretary of Nepal, Gyan Chandra Acharya and Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Rakesh Sood.

May 27th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has congratulated his Nepalese counterpart Madhav Kumar Nepal on his appointment as Prime Minister and invited the latter to visit India.

May 25th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Indian Ambassador to Nepal Rakesh Sood and United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) chief Karen Ladgren have separately met newly elected Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal at the latter's residence, Koteshwor. They congratulated Nepal on his election as the new Prime Minister and extended best wishes for his successful term.

May 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Congratulating Nepal's new prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, India Monday hoped that the peace process, including the framing of the constitution, would move expeditiously and offered the country any support it needed. "We congratulate Madhav Nepal on his election as the Prime Minister of Nepal, External Affairs Minister S.M.

March 24th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Power Trading Corporation (PTC) of India has proposed to supply additional 500 MW electricity to Nepal. Nepalnews quoted Shankar Prasad Koirala, secretary at the Ministry of Water Resources, as saying that PTC had stated in a letter to the ministry that it could provide 500 MW in 18 months if Nepal government agreed to its proposal.

February 24th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Bihar's Central Water Commission (CWC) authorities have asked Nepal's government to provide security after protesters forced work on repairing the flood-damaged Kosi embankment to stop. The CWC Monday sent a letter to the district authorities of Sunsari, the southern area along the India-Nepal border where floods created havoc last monsoon, asking for security after the people displaced by the Kosi river stepped up protests.

January 8th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Private television stations in Nepal have announced several hours of cuts to regular broadcasts, citing growing power outages. Television Broadcasters' Nepal, an umbrella body of five private stations, said Thursday they would no longer be able to keep up round-the-clock broadcasts due to power outages.