Kathmandu April 26

A delegation from the British Group of Inter-Parliamentary Union led by Nigel Evans is visiting Nepal from May 6 to12 at the invitation of the Federal Parliament of Nepal.

The six- member delegation is scheduled to hold separate meetings with President Bidhya Devi Bhandari at Shital Niwas and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in Singha Durbar on May 7, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Federal Parliament Secretariat. Members of the BGIPU include David Morris, Virendra Sharma, Kerry McCarthy, Lord Balfe and Lord Dholakia. The delegation will meet Minister for Energy, Water resources and Irrigation Minister Barshaman Pun and Minister for Women, Children and Social welfare Tham Maya Thapa at their respective ministries in Singha Durbar on the same day.

Likewise, the delegation will meet Minister of State for Health Padma Kumari Aryal  and will also pay a courtesy call on Acting Chief Justice Deepak Raj Joshee on the same day. They will attend a welcome dinner to be hosted by Federal Parliament in Hotel Annapurna the same  evening. The delegation will arrive in  Kathmandu on May 6 and stay at  Hotel Yak and Yeti and will meet the  British ambassador in the hotel.

“It is an exchange visit between Nepal and Britain’s parliamentarians on the occasion of bicentenary of diplomatic relations. They will share their experience of parliamentary practices with Nepali leaders,” Assistant Spokesperson for the Parliament Secretariat Keshav Aryal told THT. Former Speaker Onsari Gharti had led a delegation of Nepali parliamentarians to the UK in 2016.

Prince Henry of Wales visited Nepal in 2016 from March 19 to 28 to mark the bicentenary of the relations between two countries. As a part of the bilateral parliamentary visits between Nepal and UK parliamentarians — Sir John Stanley, Jackie Doyle Price, Kerry Mc Carthy, Baroness Northover, Virendra Sharma and Charlie Holloway paid a visit to Nepal in 2014 from September 14 to 19. The delegation will also meet Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Chairman of National Assembly Ganesh Prasad Timilsena at Shankar hall in the Parliament building on May 8. They will visit the House of Representatives and the National Assembly the same day. They will also hold an interaction with deputy leaders of all parties represented in the Parliament on  “the role of political parties in the Parliament”.

The delegation will also visit Kathmandu Durbar Square and interact with Vice-chairman of National Planning Commission Pushpa Kadel and NPC members, besides interacting with members of Nepal Tourism Board on the issues related to sustainable tourism on May 9. The delegation will also interact with representatives of  DFID on Sustainable Development Goals.

The delegation will hold interaction with CEO of National Reconstruction Authority Yubraj Bhusal on the same day. They will also discuss development issues with representative of the World Bank, external development partners and representatives from non-governmental organisations. The delegation will travel to Benighat observe retrofitted houses at Gajuri in Dhading and meet Mayor Bhim Prasad Dhungana on May 10.