India and Canada have signed several agreements this
time including Civil Nuclear Deal, Social
Security Agreement, a Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in
Information Technology and Electronics and an agreement to boost bilateral
cooperation in Defense Science and Technology.
The agreements were inked after talks between visiting
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here
at New Delhi.
The agreement on Social
Security, inked
between India’s Ministry of Overseas
Indian Affairs and Canada’s Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, provides for avoidance of double social
security contributions by “Detached Workers” — employees who are subject to the
legislation of a country and are sent by their employers to work in another
country — from the host country’s legislation.
It also provides for “Portability
of Contributions” or
moving the social security contribution at the time of relocation, and
totalling the periods of contribution for determining eligibility to a benefit.
Canada has a large Indian origin community which,
according to 2001 figures, numbers over 850,000.
Addressing the gathering after talks with Harper,
Manmohan Singh said: “The large Indian origin community in Canada and the
people-to-people interaction this has fostered, has played a vital role in
strengthening our relations. The Social Security Agreement that has been signed
today will be of enormous benefit to many expatriate professionals in both
countries.”
An MoU on cooperation in Information Communication
Technology and Electronics was also inked between India’s Ministry of
Communications and Information Technology and Canada’s Department of Industry.
It aims to provide the necessary framework for
cooperation in the Information Communication Technology and Electronics (ICTE)
sector between the two countries for establishing a strong and effective
business to business partnership and cooperation.
It also aims to raise awareness among private and
public sector stakeholders on ICTE opportunities in Canada and India and
establishing an ICTE Working Group to engage in a wide variety of ICTE Sector
related issues. India is known worldwide for its ICT expertise.
The third MoU was between between India’s Defence
Research and Development Organisation and Canada’s York University for
cooperation in the areas of Joint Research and Development in Defence Science
and Technology.
The MoU aims to establish a framework for cooperation
and identify opportunities for collaboration in the areas of joint research and
development in defence science and technology through information and personnel
exchanges.
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