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‘May this day strengthen the bonds of friendship and cooperation between our nations. Looking forward to advancing Nepal-India relations,’ PM Oli wrote.

Kathmandu: Top political leaders, including Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, extended best wishes to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian people on the occasion of 78th Independence Day of India, which was marked on Thursday.

“Warm congratulations to Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji and the people of India on 78th Independence Day!” Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli extended his greetings on social media X. “May this day strengthen the bonds of friendship and cooperation between our nations. Looking forward to advancing Nepal-India relations.” Indian Prime Minister responded to the post by extending “gratitude” Nepal PM, adding “[I] fully agree with you on the strong bonds between India and Nepal.”

Likewise, foreign minister Dr Arzu Rana Deuba also extended “warm greetings and felicitations” to her Indian counterpart Dr S Jaishankar on the occasion. “May the ties of friendship and cooperation between Nepal and India continue to strengthen. Wishing peace, prosperity, and progress to the people of India,” she wrote on X.

Former Prime Minister and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba expressed: “May the bonds of friendship between our two nations continue to strengthen, and may both our countries prosper and achieve new heights.”

Meanwhile, the Embassy of India in Kathmandu celebrated the day by hosting various programs. Indian ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava hoisted the national flag followed by playing of the video of the address to the nation from Indian President Droupadi Murmu.  On the occasion, the Ambassador honored widows and next of kin of deceased Gorkha soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces by disbursing their dues worth NRs 5.50 crore and a blanket to each, according to Indian embassy in Kathmandu. “In addition, NRs 12.55 crore has been disbursed to the widows and next of kin of 107 deceased members of the Indian Armed Forces. This payment covers benefits under the Army Group Insurance (AGI) programme, including death-in-service benefits, extended insurance benefits and AGI maturity payments for the year 2024,” the embassy said.

The Embassy also announced book grant to 21 educational institutions and libraries across five provinces in Nepal. “This initiative aims to promote access to educational materials for students in remote areas, in response to requests received,” embassy said. 

On the occasion, Embassy of India in Nepal also planted 78 saplings at its premises in line with India’s ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative. ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ is the campaign started by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of World Environment Day 2024.