India has boosted its power supply to Nepal following flood damage to the country’s electricity infrastructure, approving up to 18 hours of daily supply.

The extended arrangement runs through December 31 and is intended to help Nepal manage demand while recovering from the flooding.

India and Nepal operate under an existing cross-border electricity trade framework, with power flowing between the two countries based on seasonal need.

Nepal’s hydropower-reliant grid faces particular vulnerability during severe monsoon flooding, which can take river-based generation offline.

The new 18-hour daily supply level is a substantial jump from Nepal’s typical cross-border power import volumes.

Nepal’s hydropower-dependent grid can be particularly vulnerable to disruption during severe monsoon flooding, when river-based generation facilities may be damaged or forced offline.

India’s power ministry coordinates cross-border electricity supply arrangements with neighbouring countries through mechanisms that account for both grid capacity and diplomatic considerations.

The 18-hour daily supply figure represents a significant increase over Nepal’s typical cross-border import levels during non-emergency periods.

Officials have not specified the exact quantum of additional power being supplied, though the arrangement is described as a direct response to the flooding-related shortfall.

India has periodically extended similar emergency power support to neighbouring countries during natural disasters affecting their domestic electricity infrastructure.

The move comes amid broader efforts by India to strengthen its regional standing through infrastructure and energy cooperation with South Asian neighbours.

The extended power supply is intended to help Nepal manage electricity demand after recent severe flooding disrupted parts of its domestic generation and distribution infrastructure.

India and Nepal have an existing framework for cross-border electricity trade, with power flowing both ways depending on seasonal demand and generation capacity in each country.

The enhanced supply arrangement is set to remain in effect through December 31, covering peak periods of electricity demand in Nepal.

High voltage power transmission line, India, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

The 18th BRICS Summit closed with leaders unanimously adopting the New Delhi Declaration on September 12.

The declaration called for restraint in the Middle East and addressed AI cooperation, energy security and local-currency trade, while stopping short of condemning the US-Israeli strikes or Iran’s targeting of Gulf countries.

India played a mediating role at the summit, helping secure a joint statement between the UAE and Iran after talks that continued until 4 am on September 12.

PM Modi said the Declaration reflected a BRICS that is ‘wider in reach and stronger in purpose’, calling for time-bound follow-through.

Security was tightened significantly at the Bharat Mandapam venue on the summit’s closing day, with thousands of personnel deployed across the capital.

PM Modi described the Declaration’s outcome as reflecting a BRICS that is ‘wider in reach and stronger in purpose’, urging members to translate the outcomes into time-bound action.

Security was tightened significantly at the Bharat Mandapam venue for the summit’s final day, with thousands of personnel deployed across New Delhi.

The 18th BRICS Summit brought together leaders and senior delegations from member states including Russia, China, South Africa, Iran and several newer bloc entrants.

Major summit themes included artificial intelligence cooperation, energy security, and stronger representation for Global South nations in international institutions.

The declaration’s adoption came after member states worked through sharp differences on the West Asia conflict and other contentious geopolitical issues in the lead-up to the summit.

The New Delhi Declaration called for restraint in the Middle East but stopped short of condemning either the US-Israeli strikes or Iran’s targeting of Gulf countries in the region.

The declaration also criticised the ongoing global trade war without directly naming the United States, reflecting the bloc’s effort to balance differing member positions.

BRICS did not launch a common currency at the summit, with the focus instead remaining on promoting local-currency trade and cross-border payment systems among member nations.

Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in New Delhi on Friday, marked by an exchange that included a Russian translation of the Thirukkural.

Modi gifted Putin the translated text ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit, saying he expected it to grow people-to-people ties between the two countries.

The Thirukkural is an ancient Tamil work of 1,330 couplets, attributed to poet-saint Thiruvalluvar and written around two thousand years ago.

The bilateral meeting covered trade, industry, energy, mobility and critical resources, with discussion of rail sector and steel value chain cooperation.

Putin arrived in Delhi ahead of the BRICS Summit, which India is hosting from September 12 to 13.

Talks reportedly touched on plans related to INNOPROM participation in India, as well as collaboration in the rail sector and the steel value chain.

Business-to-business opportunities between Indian and Russian companies were also on the agenda during the wide-ranging talks.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, with several other world leaders also arriving in Delhi over the same period.

Security for the summit period has been tightened significantly across Delhi, with thousands of personnel deployed and airspace restrictions in effect.

India-Russia relations span decades of defence, energy and diplomatic cooperation, with the two countries holding regular bilateral summits.

The two leaders have met on multiple occasions in recent years, both at bilateral summits and on the sidelines of multilateral forums such as BRICS and the SCO.

Officials from both sides were expected to hold follow-up working-level discussions in the weeks after the summit to translate the leaders’ talks into concrete agreements.

India has traditionally balanced its ties with Russia alongside its relationships with Western partners, a dynamic that continues to shape its foreign policy approach.

Putin arrived in New Delhi on Friday ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit, which India is hosting on September 12 and 13.

PM Narendra Modi with President Vladimir Putin, PIB/Wikimedia Commons, GODL-India