Dehradun | August 25, 2026 | INFRAINTEL Bureau
(The Times Of India)
India and Nepal reviewed bilateral cooperation on border management and security during the 14th meeting of their Joint Working Group in Dehradun.
The two-day meeting, held on August 20 and 21, covered trans-border crime, criminal activities, institutional coordination and capacity building.
The delegations discussed strengthening and more effective utilisation of border infrastructure, particularly Integrated Check Posts, roads and railway networks. Removal of encroachments and maintenance of boundary pillars were also taken up.
The Indian delegation was led by Pausumi Basu, Joint Secretary for Border Management-I in the Ministry of Home Affairs. Nepal’s delegation was led by Ananda Kafle, Joint Secretary in Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs.
Both sides agreed to sustain engagement and hold the next Joint Working Group meeting in Nepal on a mutually convenient date.
The discussions followed the launch in June of a peer-to-peer cross-border remittance mechanism linking India’s Unified Payments Interface with Nepal’s National Payments Interface.
India and Nepal share an open border supported by deep social, economic and cultural links. The same openness creates operational requirements related to trafficking, smuggling, forged documents, movement of organised-crime networks and management of disputed or encroached locations.
The effectiveness of the Joint Working Group will depend on measurable follow-up, including interoperable check-post procedures, real-time information exchange, joint verification of boundary infrastructure, protection of legitimate cross-border movement and clear safeguards against harassment of local communities.