Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Nov 15: India and Nepal have formally amended the Treaty of Transit to enable smoother movement of rail-based freight between Jogbani in India and Biratnagar in Nepal, including the transportation of bulk cargo.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Nepal’s Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Anil Kumar Sinha exchanged the amended protocol documents during a meeting in New Delhi on Thursday.

According to the government, the updated agreement broadens the definition of permitted rail cargo, thereby allowing bulk freight to move seamlessly across the Jogbani–Biratnagar route. The liberalised provisions will also extend to key transit corridors such as Kolkata–Jogbani, Kolkata–Nautanwa (Sunauli) and Visakhapatnam–Nautanwa (Sunauli), strengthening multimodal connectivity for Nepal’s trade with India and third countries.

Both Ministers welcomed the ongoing bilateral efforts to enhance cross-border trade and infrastructure linkages.

“India remains Nepal’s largest trade and investment partner, accounting for a major share of its external trade,” the official statement noted. The new measures are expected to further deepen economic cooperation and boost commercial exchanges between the two neighbours.