Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba will pay an official visit to India from April 1-3, foreign ministries of both the countries announced on Monday.

This is the first official visit of Prime Minister Deuba after assuming office in July last year.

“At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sher Bahadur Deuba, Prime Minister of Nepal, accompanied by his spouse Arzu Deuba, will pay an official visit to India from April 1-3,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

The announcement comes a day after Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councilor Wang Yi concluded his three-day official visit to Nepal.

“The entourage of Prime Minister Deuba will comprise Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Khadka, other senior ministers, secretaries and officials of the Government of Nepal,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “The visit will further strengthen the multifaceted, age-old, and cordial ties between Nepal and India.”

During the visit, Prime Minister Deuba is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Indian Vice President Venkaiah Naidu.

“Prime Minister Deuba will hold delegation-level talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House on April 2,” said the Foreign Ministry. Prime Minister Modi will host a luncheon in honour of Prime Minister Deuba and the delegation.”

According to the ministry, the prime minister will also address a gathering of business leaders in New Delhi.

Deuba is also scheduled to visit Varanasi before returning to Kathmandu on April 3.

According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will call on Prime Minister Deuba during his stay in Delhi.

During his visit to Varanasi, Deuba will visit the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple and a Nepali temple also known as Shri Samrajeswar Pashupatinath Mahadev Mandir.

The Nepali temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is located on Lalita Ghat and was envisaged by Nepali King Rana Bahadur Shah who was exiled to the city from 1800 to 1804.

It was during his exile that he decided to build a replica of Kathmandu's famous Pashupatinath temple in the city. The construction of the temple was taken forward by his son Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah. The temple belongs to the Nepal government and is one of the most famous temples of the holy city, according to the Indian media.

“India and Nepal enjoy age-old and special ties of friendship and cooperation. In recent years, the partnership has witnessed significant growth in all areas of cooperation,” said India’s Ministry of External Affairs in the statement. “The upcoming visit will provide an opportunity to the two sides to review this wide ranging cooperative partnership and to progress it further for the benefit of the peoples of the two countries.”

Earlier in January also Deuba was scheduled to visit India to participate in the Gujarat business summit. The visit, however, was cancelled after the summit was postponed in the wake of rising Covid-19 case.