India opens doors of IITs for Nepal students: Pranab Mukherjee

India has announced that from next year, Nepalese students would be able to compete for seats in IITs.Announcing the new opportunity for the students of Nepal,President Pranab Mukherjee said, they will be able to write entrance examinations of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, IIT in Kathmandu from next year to pursue graduate and post-graduate courses.

Addressing a seminar jointly organised by India Foundation and Neeti Anusandhan Pratishthan Nepal in Kathmandu last night, the President said India and Nepal have enjoyed a long tradition of academic and student exchanges. He said that common cultural heritage is yet another dimension of India-Nepal bilateral relations. Mr Mukherjee called for enhancing air, rail and road connectivity to facilitate tourism. 

He also emphasized that cooperation in water resources also has huge potential.Earlier, at a civic



reception organised in Kathmandu President Pranab Mukherjee said that India and Nepal relations are strengthened by history, tradition and especially, people to people relations. He said that Kathmandu is the political capital of Nepal as well as a spiritual centre for the people of the region. 

He told that many Indian citizens visit temples of Pashupatinath and Muktinath in Nepal, similarly, many Nepalese citizens visit Varanasi and Rameshwaram for spiritual inspiration. He said his visit is to strengthen the relationship between the two countries for greater understanding and cooperation.

Today, Mr. Mukherjee will visit Pokhara and Janakpur. The visit reflects the priority that Government of India associates for strengthening its age-old unique partnership with Nepal and the shared historical and cultural linkages and wide-ranging people to people contacts.