Nepal To Issue New Rs 100 Currency Note Featuring Updated Map, Including Disputed Areas With India

Nepal has stirred diplomatic tensions with India once again by announcing the introduction of a new Rs 100 currency note featuring a controversial map. The map includes disputed territories of Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura, and Kalapani, which India staunchly contests as its own.

PTI

Government spokesperson Rekha Sharma confirmed the decision, stating, "The meeting of the council of ministers chaired by Prime Minister Pushpakamal Dahal 'Prachanda' took a decision to print the new map of Nepal, which includes the Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani in the Rs 100 denomination bank notes."

This move comes after the Nepali cabinet approved the redesigning of the banknote during meetings on April 25 and May 2, as Minister Sharma disclosed, "The cabinet approved to re-design the banknote of Rs 100 and replace the old map printed in the background of the banknote."

CNN

India swiftly responded to Nepal's decision, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expressing India's clear stance. He emphasized that unilateral actions by Nepal will not alter the existing realities on the ground or affect the ongoing boundary discussions between the two nations.

¡°I saw that report. I have not looked at it in detail, but I think our position is very clear. With Nepal, we were having discussions about our boundary matters through an established platform. And then in the middle of that, they unilaterally took some measures on their side. But by doing something on their side, they are not going to change the situation between us or the reality on the ground,¡± said Jaishankar.

This development adds to the strain between the two countries since Nepal's constitutional amendment in June 2020, which officially integrated Lipulekh, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura into its political map. India vehemently rejected this move, denouncing it as a "unilateral act" and dismissing Nepal's territorial claims as "untenable."

With a shared border spanning over 1,850 km across five Indian states, including Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the dispute over these territories remains a sensitive issue between Nepal and India.

(With inputs from PTI & ANI)

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