India and Nepal on Tuesday signed a number of memorandums of understandings (MoUs) and agreements, including on tourism, youth exchange and a motor vehicle agreement. The agreements were signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart Sushil Koirala.
Prime Minister Modi is in Nepal to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit, which is scheduled to begin on November 26.
The first MoU, which was on the Nepal Police Academy (NPA), was signed by Nepal Ministry of Finance Secretary Suman Prasad Sharma and Ministry of Home Affairs Secretary (BM) Sneh Lata Kumar.
The second MoU, which pertains to tourism, was signed by India Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae and Nepal Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation secretary Suresh Man Shrestha.
The third MoU, dealing with traditional medicines, was signed between Nepal Ministry of Health secretary Sant Bahadur Shrestha and Rae.
The fourth MoU, pertaining to youth exchange, was signed between Nepal Ministry of Youth and Sports Dipendra Nath Sharma and Rae.
The fifth MoU, a project development agreement (PDA) on the hydropower project Arun III, was signed between Investment Board Nepal CEO Radhesh Pant and Satlaj Jal Vidyut Nigam chairman and managing director R.P. Singh.
Apart from the MoUs, a number of agreements were also signed.
Three twin-cities agreements were signed - between Ayodhya and Janakpur; between Kathmandu and Varanasi; and between Lumbini and Bodh Gaya.
A motor vehicles agreement (MVA) was signed by Nepal Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport joint secretary Bishnu Om Bade and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways joint secretary Niraj Verma.
An agreement on a line of credit (LOC) of USD one billion was signed between Nepal Ministry of Finance joint secretary Madhu Kumar Marasini and Exim Bank deputy managing director David Rasquinha.
The meeting also witnessed the handing over of the keys of a mobile soil testing van by Paradeep Phospates Ltd chairman Saroj Kumar Poddar to Nepal Ministry of Agricultural Development secretary Jaya Mukunda Khanal.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Modi also handed over the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Mark III to the Nepalese Army.
Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the trauma centre in Kathmandu earlier in the day.
In a statement prior to his departure for Nepal, Prime Minister Modi said that the development of close relations with India's neighbours was a key priority for his government.
This is Prime Minister Modi's second visit to Nepal in four months.
