KATHMANDU, APRIL 1

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba left here today for New Delhi, India on a three-day official visit at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Narendra Damodardas Modi. The Prime Minister flew to New Delhi by a regular flight of the Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC), leading a 50-member delegation.

Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota, Home Minister Balkrishna Khand, ministers, chiefs and office-bearers of constitutional bodies, the Charge d'affaires of Indian Embassy here, and chiefs and representatives from the diplomatic missions here were at Tribhuvan International Airport ( TIA) VVIP lounge to see off the Prime Minister's entourage.

Prior to this, a contingent of Nepali Army offered a guard of honour to the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister's entourage includes his spouse Dr Arzu Rana Deuba, Foreign Minister Dr Narayan Khadka, Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Pampha Bhusal, Health and Population Minister Birodh Khatiwada, Agriculture and Livestock Development Minister Mahendra Ray Yadav, Chief Secretary Shaker Das Bairagi, Prime Minister's principal private secretary Bhan Bahadur Deuba, Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudyal, Energy Secretary Devendra Karki, secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Rabindra Nath Shrestha, Home Secretary Tek Narayan Pandey, Law Secretary Uday Raj Sapkota, Finance Secretary Madhu Kumar Marasini, Commerce Secretary Ganesh Prasad Pandey, Health Secretary Dr Roshan Pokhrel and Agriculture Secretary Dr Govinda Prasad Sharma among others.

Other delegation members are PM Deuba's private secretary Prakash Deuba, Chief Executive Officer of the Investment Board Nepal Sushil Bhatta, Managing Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority Kulman Ghising, Managing Director of the Nepal Oil Corporation Umesh Prasad Thani, chairs and office bearers of various business and trade associations, office bearers of the Independent Power Producers' Association Nepal and media-persons.