Lama receives the India-China fellowship from Bob Kerrey. A Telegraph picture

Darjeeling, March 23: The National Election Observation Committee of Nepal has invited Mahendra P. Lama, the vice-chancellor of Sikkim University, to act as an international observer for the country’s constituent assembly polls scheduled to held on April 10.

The assembly is expected to write the new constitution of Nepal. The elections have already been postponed twice.

The observation committee’s letter to Lama referred to his “constant support, dedication and solidarity for the cause of human rights and democratic movement in Nepal” and invited him to join “the International Election Observation mission hosted by the National Election Observation Committee in coordination with the Government of Nepal”.

Lama is the only Indian to be invited and will work alongside observers from the United Nations and the European Union in monitoring the election, the first to be held in Nepal in nearly nine years.

The vice-chancellor, who is currently in the US, also confirmed receiving the India-China Fellowship awarded by the New School, a university in New York.

In an email sent to The Telegraph, Lama said Bob Kerrey, the president of the University and a former senator, handed him the fellowship in New York on Friday. It was awarded in recognition for his achievement in cross border cooperation, peace and development between India and China.

A couple of years ago, Lama had conducted extensive surveys and studies on matters related to border trade through Nathu-la, a mountain pass located at 14,400ft in East Sikkim that connects India and China.

Lama is also the chief economic adviser to the Sikkim government.