Six months into the new Nepal government led by Prime Minister Balen Shah, who had earlier decided not to undertake foreign trips for at least a year, Delhi and Kathmandu are working towards scheduling a bilateral visit by Balen Shah in the latter half of November, sources said on Saturday.

Nepal’s Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar this week. In a post on X, Jaishankar said both sides discussed ways to strengthen overall cooperation, especially in economic, energy and connectivity domains. According to sources, Wagle’s visit was aimed at preparing ground for Balen Shah’s India visit.

They agreed India and Nepal will prioritise cross-border connectivity and transmission infrastructure, said sources.

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Sources said clean-energy cooperation is central, with Nepal targeting 35,000 megawatts (MW) over next nine years through run-of-river and storage projects. Nepal seeks expanded Indian investment, digitalization, high-value agriculture, green manufacturing, tourism, and production-sharing opportunities, sources said.

They discussed updating trade treaty to cover services, investment protection, profit repatriation, and movement of parts and components, sources said. This was the first bilateral visit after the devastating August 26 flash flood,thus it was an opportunity to exchange notes on rescue and relief efforts. At least 270 Indians are still missing.

While Wagle, the most experienced minister in the Nepal cabinet, met key officials on economic cooperation, post-disaster reconstruction, and economic recovery during his two-day visit, sources also said there is goodwill after India sent humanitarian aid. It had delivered about 95 tonnes of aid material and disaster relief supplies, apart from Baileys bridges.