India, Nepal to sign accord to avoid double taxation today

India and Nepal will sign a new agreement for avoiding double taxation between the two countries when finance minister Pranab Mukherjee visits Kathmandu today. The treaty will replace the 1987 accord. Utpal Parashar reports.

Updated on: Nov 27, 2011, 02:01:28 IST

Hindustan Times | By Utpal Parashar, Kathmandu

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Foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai landed in Kathmandu on Saturday afternoon to prepare groundwork for finance minister Pranab Mukherjee's visit on Sunday.

Mukherjee and his Nepali counterpart Barsha Man Pun will sign the fresh Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement between both countries during the former’s daylong visit.

"My visit is to prepare for the finance minister’s visit who will sign the DTAA that will replace the old agreement signed in 1987," Mathai told newspersons on arrival at the Tribhuwan International Airport.

The foreign secretary will meet Nepal’s chief secretary Madhav Ghimire to review progress in implementation of the agenda agreed upon during Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai’s India visit in October.

"India has abiding interest in the peace, stability and prosperity of Nepal and this motivates our wish to expand cooperation between our two nations," stated Mathai.

The foreign secretary’s 'sudden' Kathmandu trip has been linked in some circles to Nepal’s recent vote against Indian candidate A Gopinathan for a seat in the United Nations Joint Inspection Unit.

Despite India’s request to vote for Gopinathan, Nepal voted for the Chinese candidate Zhang Yan. Although Gopinathan won comprehensively, India is unhappy with Nepal’s snub.

Nepal’s foreign minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha and foreign secretary Durga Prasad Bhattarai are on a trip to China at present to invite Premier Wen Jiabao for a Nepal visit next month.

Mathai is likely to take up the issue of the UN vote during his meeting with chief secretary Ghimire. Indian Embassy officials have however ruled out possibility of that topic cropping up during deliberations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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