PATNA: Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar, India, today said that India had always been a good friend of Nepal and wants to help Nepal achieve the goal of peace and prosperity.

Addressing a three-day seminar titled "Towards a New Era in Nepal' organised by the Embassy of India in Nepal here today, the CM made a candid and compassionate appeal to get rid of misunderstanding about India if there was any in Nepal. He said Nepal could become richest country in South Asia if it was able to harness its abundant hydro power.

'" You have enough of hydro power and we have increased demand for energy. If Nepal sells its energy to India, I am sure it will pave the way for industrialisation in Nepal and increased potential for per capita growth. Nepal has all the potentials for becoming the region's richest country and I am not telling it just to please you all," the minister said.

In his more than an hour long speech, the Chief Minister said, he was confident that the leadership of Nepal would overcome the present political problems and put the country on a right track.

Kumar shared his own experience of how he changed the face of Bihar. When asked by a Nepali panelist as to how Nepal could benefit from Bihar to control the criminal activities of some of the armed groups that used Bihar as safe haven, the CM said he was ready to take action including joint-action in order to control such activities. He said criminals from both the countries were misusing open border and it was the responsibility of both the nations to control their activities.

In the past, Bihar was in news for lawlessness, crime, kidnapping and ransom, now everybody is talking for its economic growth, social and overall transformation," Kumar said. He said the primary objectives of simple reforms- rule of law, inclusive participation of children, marginalised sections of society were achieved and now he was focusing on the ways that would put the state on a higher development.