Context

Nepal decided to include a map on its Rs 100 currency note, depicting certain areas administered by India in Uttarakhand as part of its territory. 

Nepal’s Map on Currency Notes Sparks Controversy Amid Tensions with India

• Parliament Reaction:  The map was adopted by consensus in Nepal’s Parliament four years ago. 
  • In contrast to 2020 when the new map was embraced, the recent decision to feature it on the currency note has been met with skepticism and criticism in Nepal.
• India’s Response: India asserted that such “unilateral measures” by Nepal would not alter the ground reality.India stated that discussions regarding boundary matters are in progress through an established platform. 
  • However, it seems that Kathmandu is dissatisfied with the pace and urgency of this process.

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India Nepal Border Dispute

The India Nepal border dispute is about a 372-sq-km area that includes Limpiadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani at the India-Nepal-China trijunction in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district. Nepal has claimed for long that these areas belong to it both historically and evidently.

Genesis of the India Nepal Border Dispute

• Treaty of Sugauli: The treaty at the end of the Anglo-Nepalese War of 1814-1816, resulted in Nepal ceding a portion of its territory to the East India Company. 
• Article 5 of the treaty revoked Nepal’s rulers’ jurisdiction over the land situated to the east of the Kali River.
• Maps issued by the British Surveyor General of India in 1819, 1821, 1827, and 1856 showed the Kali River as originating in Limpiadhura. 
• Publishing of New Map:  The next map, published in 1879, used the name of the river in the local language: “Kuti Yangti”.
  • The map that was published in 1920-21 retained the name Kuti Yangti but it identified a different “Kali” which was shown as a stream originating from a temple site, and joining the main stream about a kilometre downstream. 
  • However, the last map issued by the British before they left India in 1947 showed the initial position of the Kali River originating in Limpiadhura.
• Transition Following India-China War: Until 1962, villages in this area—Gunji, Nabhi, Kuti, and Kalapani, also recognized as Tulsi Nyurang and Nabhidang were included in the Nepal government census, and residents paid land revenue to the Kathmandu government. 
  • Following the war between India and China, India approached King of Nepal asking for permission to use Kalapani, which was strategically located close to the trijunction, as a base for the Indian Army.
• India-Nepal Dispute resolution Talks: Prime Minister I K Gujral (April 1997-March 1998) promised to give up these areas if Nepal was able to produce evidence for its claim.
  • In July 2000, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee assured Nepal that India had no interest in Nepali territory. However, the mechanism led by the two nations did not make progress.
  • During the visit of the Prime Minister of India to Nepal in 2014, both nations agreed to set up a boundary working group for speedy settlement of the border issue in Kalapani and Susta.
  • Susta is a 145-sq-km area that had fallen on the Indian side after the River Gandak changed course.

Frictions in India Nepal Relations

• Deterioration of Indo-Nepal Relations Post-2015: The goodwill of the 2005-14 period when India mediated the transition of Nepal into a secular federal republic deteriorated in 2015.
  • Maoists rejected the Indian suggestion that Nepal’s new constitution should be delayed until the concerns of the Terai parties were addressed.
• Erosion of Trust and Strategic Pivot: The 134-day blockade of Nepal, commencing in September 2015 created significant distrust against India. 
  • Nepal initiated a trade and transit agreement with China to establish an alternative source for the supply of essential goods.
  • In 2020, Nepal spearheaded efforts to garner parliamentary consensus for Nepal’s new map, which officially incorporated the 372 sq km area in Uttarakhand and pledged to bring it back.
• India’s Response: India condemned Nepal’s “cartographic aggression” as unacceptable but emphasized that the issue must be resolved through diplomatic channels based on evidence. 
• Difference in Map of 2024 from 2020: Unlike 2020, when the new map was adopted by Parliament, there is no consensus on putting the map on the currency note. 
• Call for Dialogue: Resolving the issue through dialogue has been advocated, avoiding actions that could provoke drastic measures from India.
  • Despite the in-principle agreement on resolution through appropriate platforms based on evidence, India and Nepal have not fixed a timeframe or called a meeting for the purpose.

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Kali River

River Kali is the largest and the most important river of the Kumaon region. 

• Border Countries: It forms the border between India and Nepal, draining both Eastern Kumaon and Western Nepal. 
• Tributaries: Saryu, Gori, Kuti, Dhauli East and Ramganga East. 
  • Saryu is the largest tributary, which rises in the north-west area of Baijnath in Central Kumaon.It merges with the Kali River at Pancheshwar. 
  • The temple towns of Baijnath and Pancheshwar are important settlements along the Saryu River.