India finalises deal with Nepal to export power

India and Nepal are finalising an agreement to provide the energy-starved Himalayan nation with electricity, India's foreign minister said at the end of a three-day official visit on Sunday. Nepal's communist insurgency, which lasted until 2006, and ensuing political instability have hampered the construction of new power plants, and Nepal could not afford to map out an energy strategy on its own. A joint press released following Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj's visit to Nepal said the two countries were able to agree on 26 issues including finalising the power deal. Under the agreement, India would export electricity to Nepal and help build hydroelectric power plants, according to a news agency.