This is Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's goodwill visit to India. Both India and Nepal have new governments. It has been quite some time that the two countries have not made any high level visits, and that is why this visit is taking place. There is no specific agenda. The main aim is to encourage friendly relations between the two countries.

India has been helping Nepal in different sectors. During the visit, we will be evaluating Indian aid and holding talks for additional assistance. There will also be talks on bilateral issues and benefits. Similarly, there could also be discussions on extradition and the legal assistance treaty, for which there has been intensive homework on the Nepali government officials' part. There could also be talks on the water resources sector, which India has been helping for a long time. There has also been research on surface transport, and there could be a finalisation of policies regarding this as well.

Discussions will also focus on India's help in backing the Nepali government's efforts to establish peace in Nepal. These will include talks regarding cross-border smuggling of arms. We have heard that extremist groups in India have been supplying arms to the Maoists, even though the Indian government has tried to stop these activities and arrest Maoist leaders several times.