KATHMANDU: Main opposition Nepali Congress senior leader and former Minister of Finance Ram Sharan Mahat has remarked that although Prime Minister KP Oli's India visit has been termed successful and fruitful, the real success will actually be measured over the achievements.

Speaking at an Interaction Programme in Kathmandu on Monday, Mahat clarified that none of the high level visits made by preceding prime ministers to India have turned out to be unsuccessful.

“The Nepali Congress has concluded that Prime Minister Oli’s successful visit although not historical has played an important role in improving the ties between two countries,” Mahat said.

According to Mahat, India was aware of the misunderstandings which surfaced during promulgation of constitution and thus, ready to improve the relations.

Likewise, Mahat said that although the agreement to connect India and Nepal through railways was positive, a detailed study including whether the project would be carried out on grant or loan and investments are yet to be pin pointed.

"There are many issues that need to be addressed, for instance the border issue that I also had forwarded suggestion to the visiting Nepali delegation. What has been done in that regard? It is too early too assess the visit in terms of achievements since the agreements that have been made will take some time to materialise, and to bear fruit," added former Finance Minister Mahat.

Citing that the trade deficit between Nepal and India currently stands at more than 500 billion, Mahat said, “Our imports are low and trade deficit is high, Nepali imports such as ginger and others face various trade tariffs and barriers. Our delegation should have pointed out the issue and signed a trade-treaty."

Likewise, Mahat accused the government of making public a dispiriting white paper which depicts economy, darker than reality.

“The state coffers are not empty,” Mahat said, “The country has witnessed a 63 per cent increase in revenue last year.”

Likewise, although the country has gone through a structural change with three tiers of federal setups, the stake holders are not aware of their duties and responsibilities yet, Mahat added.

“In terms of behavior and implementation we are still going through the transitional phase,” Mahat remarked while suggesting the government to focus more on work than oratory.