July 19: Finance Minister Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat met with his Indian counterpart, Nirmala Sitharaman, during the 3rd finance ministers and central bank governors of G-20 country meeting in Gujarat, held on July 17-18. The purpose of their meeting was to discuss mutual cooperation and bilateral relations between India and Nepal.

During the meeting, the two finance ministers emphasized the importance of completing the India-assisted projects in Nepal within the designated timelines.

They acknowledged the issues that have arisen during the implementation process and expressed their commitment to resolving them promptly, according to the Finance Minister's secretariat.

Dr. Mahat reminded his Indian counterpart about the agreement made for power export from Nepal to India, wherein Nepal would export 10,000 megawatt of power over a period of 10 years.

Mahat highlighted that this initiative would help reduce trade losses between the two countries. The secretariat said that both ministers advocated for a collaborative approach in trade and investment facilitation between Nepal and India.

Additionally, Dr. Mahat informed Minister Sitharaman that efforts were underway to establish a mechanism for the enforcement of the integrated electronic payment agreement, which was agreed upon during the visit of the Nepali Prime Minister to India. Minister Sitharaman had requested swift implementation of this agreement.

Furthermore, Dr. Mahat mentioned the potential for Indian investment in Nepal's IT sector and expressed gratitude to India for extending an invitation to Nepal to attend the G-20 meeting.