Why in the News?
- A three-day India-Nepal Literature Festival was organised in Vrindavan (Mathura), Uttar Pradesh.
Key Points:
About the festival:
=> The event was organised by Geeta Shodh Sansthan, an affiliate of Uttar Pradesh Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad, and Krantidhara Sahitya Academy, Meerut.
=> More than 180 litterateurs, writers, journalists, and educationists from India and Nepal participated in this festival.
=> The main objective of this festival was to promote and enhance the literary and cultural heritage of both countries.
Importance:
- The exchange of literature and culture was encouraged.
- Cooperation between the litterateurs of India and Nepal was promoted.
- Traditional and contemporary literature got a new direction.
India-Nepal relations:
- As neighbours, India and Nepal share a unique relationship of friendship and cooperation characterized by an open border, kinship between the people of the two countries, and strong cultural ties.
- India contributes nearly two-thirds of Nepal's merchandise trade and nearly one-third of its services trade .
- Battalion level joint military exercise, 'Surya Kiran' , is conducted on a rotation basis in both India and Nepal.
- India assisted Nepal mainly by upgrading 10 roads in the Terai region, establishing cross-border rail links at Jogbani-Biratnagar and Jaynagar-Bardibas, and setting up integrated checkpoints at major locations like Birgunj, Biratnagar, Bhairahawa, and Nepalgunj.
- India has signed three sister-city agreements to connect Kathmandu-Varanasi, Lumbini-Bodh Gaya, and Janakpur-Ayodhya.