Nepal PM Balen Shah to Visit India on November 22 in His First Bilateral Trip — and a Big Reset for Two Neighbours

Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah is set to visit India from November 22, in what will be his first bilateral foreign trip since he took office in March 2026 — and the first visit by a Nepali prime minister to New Delhi in three years.

The visit comes after months of cool relations between the two neighbours, a public snub earlier this year, and a slow but steady thaw that gathered pace this week when Shah sat down with India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in Kathmandu.

For Nepal, the trip is about money and rebuilding: Kathmandu is seeking an economic package worth more than $2 billion from India. For India, it is about keeping its closest Himalayan neighbour close at a time when ties with China are also in play. And for both countries, it is a chance to clear up two old problems — a border dispute and the stalled recruitment of Nepali Gorkhas into the Indian Army — that have hung over the relationship for years.

Neither government has formally confirmed the dates yet, and reports differ slightly on the length of the trip, with some suggesting November 22 to 24 and others November 22 to 25. But the preparations are now public, and the visit is expected to go ahead.

What is happening

Shah is expected to travel to New Delhi from November 22 and to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the visit. It will be his first bilateral visit to any country since he became prime minister in March 2026.

That detail matters. Shah is a rapper-turned-politician who came to power promising a different style of politics, and he decided early on that he would not make foreign trips in his first year in office. His only foreign travel so far has been a multilateral one — to New York in September to attend the United Nations General Assembly.

Choosing India, rather than China, for his first bilateral visit is a clear signal. Nepal sits between the two Asian giants, and every Nepali leader’s first foreign destination is watched closely in both capitals. Shah has chosen New Delhi.

The visit will also be the first by a Nepali prime minister to India in three years. The last one was in 2023, when then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal travelled to New Delhi.

The meeting that set it up

The clearest sign that the visit was coming arrived on November 5, when Shah met Vikram Misri, India’s Foreign Secretary, in Kathmandu. Misri was wrapping up a two-day visit to Nepal, on November 4 and 5, at the invitation of his Nepali counterpart, Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai.

The two sides held delegation-level talks covering bilateral relations, economic cooperation, infrastructure development, trade and transit, energy, and preparations for the prime minister’s visit. Misri also met Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal, Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle and Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, along with other senior officials.

According to a joint statement, the discussions covered water resources, energy and trade. The two sides also reviewed progress on Indian-supported development projects in Nepal, including hydropower plants, petroleum pipelines, electricity transmission lines and border infrastructure. Talks focused on strengthening connectivity through roads, railways, aviation, bridges and cross-border infrastructure.

The May snub — and the turnaround

Shah’s meeting with Misri was significant because it marked a clear change from his approach earlier this year.

Misri had been scheduled to visit Kathmandu on May 11 and 12, but the trip was called off. India did not publicly give a reason for the postponement. The Kathmandu Post reported that Shah had introduced a protocol under which he would avoid one-on-one meetings with foreign diplomats below the rank of a foreign minister.

The approach was not limited to Indian officials. Shah also declined meetings with US Assistant Secretary of State Samir Paul Kapur and the US envoy to India, Sergio Gor, earlier this year.

So when Shah sat down with Misri on November 5, it was a deliberate break from that policy — and it came just weeks before his expected trip to India.

The thaw did not start this week, though. There have been signs of warming for months. In June, Rabi Lamichhane, chairperson of Shah’s Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), received a high-profile welcome in New Delhi. The following month, Shah met the Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, departing from his reported protocol on meetings with foreign diplomats.

The floods in August also played a part. Nepal suffered devastating flash floods, and India was the first to respond with help. India provided more than 140 tonnes of relief material between August 26 and September 19, and sent rescue teams, equipment and tunnelling experts to help with relief and restoration work. Shah publicly thanked India for its help in his first address to the United Nations General Assembly in September. He also proposed a Himalayan Climate Resilience Mechanism involving Nepal, India and China to deal with climate-related disasters.

The $2 billion ask

Money will be at the centre of the visit. Nepal has sought an economic package worth more than $2 billion — around 18,786 crore rupees — from India, made up of lines of credit and grants.

According to The Kathmandu Post, the money would mainly be used to build electricity transmission lines and to support reconstruction after the August floods. A Nepali Finance Ministry official told the newspaper that an announcement on the package could be made during the prime minister’s visit. New Delhi has not made any announcement on the package so far.

The request was discussed during Misri’s meeting with Shah, and Nepal also raised the possibility of extra Indian financial assistance, including grants and concessional loans, to support infrastructure development and reconstruction after the flood damage. No agreement has been finalised yet, and the scale and terms of any support are still subject to discussion.

India has said it is ready to consider Nepal’s proposals for reconstruction and rehabilitation assistance following the Bhotekoshi floods. The two sides also discussed progress on Indian-supported development projects and the possibility of inaugurating some of them, or signing new agreements, during the visit.

The economic case for closer ties is straightforward. Nepal is landlocked and depends heavily on India for trade, transit and fuel. India is its largest trading partner, and Nepal’s hydropower — one of its biggest natural assets — needs Indian transmission lines and Indian buyers to reach its full value.

As Constantino Xavier, a visiting professor at Ashoka University, put it: “Nepal and other neighbours realise rising reliance on and benefits of closer economic relations with India to attain developmental objectives — especially given global slowdown and disruptions.”

The two old problems on the table

Beyond money, two long-standing disputes are expected to feature in the talks.

The border dispute

The first is the border dispute over Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura — three areas in the far west of Nepal that both countries claim.

Tensions flared again after India and China agreed to facilitate the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, a Hindu pilgrimage, through Uttarakhand’s Lipulekh Pass. Nepal objected to the arrangement, saying Lipulekh is part of its territory under the 1816 Sugauli Treaty. India rejected Nepal’s territorial claims as “untenable”.

The dispute was one of the issues that strained relations between Kathmandu and New Delhi earlier this year. Nepal has since said it is willing to address the matter through diplomatic channels, and longstanding boundary disputes were among the matters identified for possible discussion during the prime minister’s visit.

Gorkha recruitment

The second is the recruitment of Nepali Gorkhas into the Indian Army, which has been suspended since India introduced the Agnipath scheme in 2022.

Under Agnipath, soldiers serve for four years, after which up to 25 per cent of recruits can be kept on for permanent service. Nepal objected to the arrangement, arguing that it was inconsistent with the 1947 tripartite agreement between India, Nepal and Britain that governs Gorkha recruitment. The disagreement led Nepal to suspend the recruitment of its citizens into the Indian Army under the scheme.

There may now be an opening. India has since made changes to the Agnipath framework, allowing Agniveers undergoing training in the three services to join the forces as regular soldiers. That change could give both sides room to discuss resuming Gorkha recruitment — a sensitive issue in Nepal, where military service in India has been a source of income and pride for families for generations.

What India gets out of it

The visit is not only about what Nepal wants. India has its own reasons to welcome a reset.

Nepal shares an open border with India, and the two countries have deep people-to-people links, with millions of Nepalis living and working in India. A stable, friendly Nepal matters to New Delhi for security, trade and regional influence — especially as China continues to build its presence across the Himalayas.

Energy is another shared interest. Nepal has huge hydropower potential, and India is both a buyer of Nepali electricity and a partner in building the transmission lines and power projects that make that trade possible. The talks this week reviewed hydropower facilities, petroleum pipelines and cross-border infrastructure — the practical plumbing of the relationship.

There is also the wider regional picture. The two sides discussed additional air-entry routes for Nepal and delays in major development projects, both long-running irritants. Clearing them would make the relationship work better day to day, not just at summit level.

What happens next

If the visit goes ahead as planned, Shah will meet Modi in New Delhi and the two sides are expected to discuss bilateral cooperation, development assistance and pending projects. Several India-supported infrastructure projects could feature in inauguration ceremonies or new agreements.

The $2 billion package is the headline item to watch: whether it is announced, how much of it is grants and how much is loans, and what it is tied to. The border and Gorkha recruitment issues are harder to solve in a single visit, but even a public commitment to keep talking about them through diplomatic channels would count as progress.

The dates are not yet formally confirmed by either government, so the schedule could still shift. But after a year in which Nepal’s prime minister refused to meet foreign diplomats and turned down foreign travel, the fact that he is now preparing to fly to New Delhi — and chose India over China for his first bilateral trip — already says a lot about where the relationship is heading.

Frequently asked questions

When is Nepal PM Balen Shah visiting India?

He is expected to visit from November 22, 2026, with reports suggesting the trip will last until November 24 or 25. Neither government has formally confirmed the dates yet.

Is this Balen Shah’s first foreign visit as prime minister?

No. He visited New York in September 2026 to attend the United Nations General Assembly. But the India trip will be his first bilateral visit to another country since he took office in March 2026 — and his first visit to a neighbouring country.

Why is the visit important?

It is the first visit by a Nepali prime minister to India in three years, it follows months of strained relations and a public snub in May, and Shah chose India — not China — for his first bilateral trip. Nepal is also seeking an economic package worth more than $2 billion from India.

What is the $2 billion package Nepal wants?

Nepal has asked India for more than $2 billion in lines of credit and grants, mainly to build electricity transmission lines and to rebuild after the August 2026 floods. No agreement has been finalised, and India has not yet announced anything.

What are the Kalapani and Lipulekh disputes?

Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura are areas claimed by both Nepal and India. Nepal says Lipulekh is its territory under the 1816 Sugauli Treaty; India has rejected Nepal’s claims as “untenable”. The issue flared up again after India and China agreed to run the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage through the Lipulekh Pass.

Why did Nepal stop Gorkha recruitment into the Indian Army?

Nepal suspended recruitment after India introduced the Agnipath scheme in 2022, under which soldiers serve for four years and only up to 25 per cent are kept on permanently. Nepal said this broke the 1947 tripartite agreement with India and Britain. India has since changed the scheme to let Agniveers in training join as regular soldiers, which may reopen the discussion.

Conclusion

Balen Shah’s expected visit to India on November 22 is more than a routine diplomatic trip. It closes a year that began with distance — a postponed visit, refused meetings and a prime minister who would not travel — and ends with a handshake in New Delhi, a $2 billion request on the table, and two old disputes back in the room.

For Nepal, the visit is a chance to secure money for power lines and flood rebuilding, and to reset a relationship its economy depends on. For India, it is a chance to welcome back a neighbour that had been drifting away, and to show that its “Neighbourhood First” policy still works when it matters.

The real test will come after the photographs. A package announced is not a package delivered, and border and recruitment disputes have survived many summits before. But after months of silence, the two sides are talking again — and this time, the Nepali prime minister is coming to Delhi.

Sources

• The Daily Jagran, “Nepal PM Balen Shah meets Indian Foreign Secretary after May standoff; set to visit India, key issues on agenda”, 6 November 2026: https://www.thedailyjagran.com/world/news/nepal-pm-balen-shah-meets-indian-foreign-secretary-after-may-standoff-set-to-visit-india-key-issues-on-agenda-10335443
• Nepal on the Web, “Nepal-India talks: Misri, PM Shah visit agenda”, 6 November 2026: https://nepalontheweb.com/nepal-india-talks-misri-pm-shah-visit-agenda/
• India Today, “Nepal PM Balen Shah India visit meets Foreign Secretary after snub”, 6 November 2026: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/nepal-pm-balen-shah-india-visit-meets-foreign-secretary-after-snub-3033763-2026-11-06
• Hindustan Times (via HT Syndication), “Nepal PM Balendra Shah likely to visit India in late November; Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to prepare grounds”, 6 November 2026: https://htsyndication.com/hindustan-times/article/nepal-pm-balendra-shah-likely-to-visit-india-in-late-november;-foreign-secretary-vikram-misri-to-prepare-grounds/105656126
• The CSR Journal, “Nepal’s Prime Minister Balen Shah meets Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, signalling shift in diplomatic relations ahead of upcoming visit to India”, 6 November 2026: https://thecsrjournal.in/nepals-prime-minister-balen-shah-meets-indian-foreign-secretary-vikram-misri-signaling-shift-in-diplomatic-relations-ahead-of-upcoming-visit-to-india

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.