KATHMANDU, Oct. 30 (Nepal Foreign Affairs)–At the invitation of President Bidya Devi Bhandari, President of India Pranab Mukherjee is paying a three-day State Visit to Nepal from Wednesday to Friday.
This is going to be the first high level visit to Nepal from India after Nepal promulgated new constitution in September last year.
President Bhandari will receive her Indian counterpart at the Tribhuvan International Airport at 12:30 p.m. on November 2. The visiting dignitary will be accorded a ceremonial reception at the airport.
Mukherjee will hold bilateral talks with President Bhandari at Presidential Palace Shital Niwas on Wednesday. The President of Nepal will host a State Banquet in honour of the President of India in the evening at Hotel Soaltee.
Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” will call on Mukherjee. The Prime Minister will also host a dinner in honour of the visiting dignitary at Hotel Dwarika on Thursday evening. The President of India will attend a reception to be hosted by the Ambassador of India to Nepal on Thursday.
Mukherjee will visit Pashupatinath Temple and perform Puja at 10 am on November 3. Kathmandu University will confer an honorary degree on Mukherjee on the same day at 5 p.m. amidst a function at Tribhuban Army Club.
He will attend a civic reception in Kathmandu to be held in his honour at City Hall by Kathmandu Metropolitan City. The Indian President will deliver a speech at a seminar of Niti Anusandhan Pratisthan Nepal and India Foundation in the afternoon on the same day at Hotel Radission. Leaders of political parties will also call on Mukherjee during his sojourn.
The President of India will reach Janakpur at 10 a.m. and perform Puja at Janaki Temple and attend a Civic Reception to be hosted in his honour. He will then fly to Pokhara to address the Ex-Indian Gurkha Army soldiers.The Indian delegation will spend three hours in Pokhara.
This will be the first visit by a President of India to Nepal after a gap of 18 years. The then Indian President K. R. Narayanan had visited Nepal in May 1998. Mukherjee will leave Kathmandu for New Delhi at 4:30 p.m. on November 4.