The 1950’s set the groundwork for economic cooperation between Nepal and India, and since the 90’s the relations have only deepened and diversified with policy reforms and treaty mechanisms. Similarly, the emerging and growing partnership in sectors of power, connectivity, and water resources, to name a few, have served to further determine the widening prospects for cooperation between Nepal and India. NICCI, as a bi-national chamber of commerce & industry, has been concentrated on aspects of investments and economic development, by tracking the progress within sectors of industry, tourism, trade, energy, technology transfer, and cooperation in human resource development. A flagship event named NEPAL-INDIA PARTNERSHIP SUMMIT has therefore been conceptualized to be held every two years. The first edition will be held from May 9-10, 2023, in Kathmandu, Nepal, with five focused panel discussions. Situating itself as the foremost FDI contributor to Nepal, Indian investments have been concentrated in vital fields of manufacturing, energy and financial services. As such, the states have in the past engaged in dialogues that sought to further ease and assist the investors and the process, though certain challenges remain. The two-day summit will serve as a common platform for the Nepali and Indian business houses and organizations that want to work together by exploring the avenues of partnership within their respective sectors, and contributing to the economies of two countries. While the major focus of the summit will be on the role of investment in ascertaining economic development, it will be connected with cross-cutting themes, that include energy, connectivity, infrastructure and tourism. The summit by keeping investment at the center, will seek to engage the entire gamut of bilateral economic cooperation. The Summit aims to fulfill the following objectives: - To foster cooperation and explore new areas of partnership between India and Nepal, promoting joint investment of both government and private sectors as consortium partners. - Promote connectivity, trade, industry, energy, and overall economic activities between the two countries by keeping investment at the center. - Build business networking and knowledge sharing between the enterprises of the two countries. - Showcase Indian companies’ success stories in Nepal, presenting Nepal’s potential. - Bring together provincial representatives from both countries to lead the regional partnership, and encourage the development of projects through public-private partnership. - Fulfill the gap between private investments by Indian companies from 1990s to present-day, and encourage the Nepali Government to launch special policies/provisions for those willing to do business in India.
