London: Britain’s Minister for South Asia, Lord Tariq Ahmad, begins a three-day visit to India during which he will launch two new UK-funded sustainability projects, the UK Foreign Office said.
Lord Ahmad is scheduled to cover Chennai and Ahmedabad during his visit from Monday, which coincides with the UK visit of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh starting later Monday.
The Foreign Office said Ahmad’s visit is reflective of the strengthening UK-India relationship as a key pillar of the country’s long-term foreign policy and its “enduring engagement” in the Indo-Pacific.
“Tamil Nadu and Gujarat are leading the way in the development of emerging technologies, and I am delighted to see first-hand British businesses pioneering innovation in the region,” said Ahmad, who is Minister of State for the Middle East, South Asia, UN, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence.
“During my visit, I look forward to further promoting joint innovation projects alongside dynamic Indian businesses – from renewable manufacturing to financial services. These are made possible through the close trade partnership we have between our two countries,” he said.
In Chennai, the minister will launch a Heat Mitigation project alongside Tamil Nadu’s State Planning Commission.
According to the Foreign Office, the project will provide recommendations to the government of Tamil Nadu to address extreme heat-related deaths and the loss of vital ecosystems. With the Tamil Nadu Department of Environment and Climate Change, he will also launch an Electronic and Battery Waste Management project, which will develop a plan to reduce battery waste.
“As the states of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat are two of India’s largest economies, the Minister will use his trip to highlight the strong UK-India trade partnership and explore new opportunities to collaborate, including on clean energy growth,” the Foreign Office said.
During the Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meet (TNGIM) in Chennai, the state’s flagship investment summit, Ahmad will deliver a keynote speech on the success of innovative UK-India projects in climate and energy.
He will continue to showcase the sustainable success of British businesses overseas at a GREAT reception and will see first-hand how British business is supporting clean growth in India, senior officials said.
Ahmad will then move on to Ahmedabad for the opening of the biennial investors’ summit, Vibrant Gujarat, where he is set to highlight close ties between the UK and India through business, culture, and the great links between our peoples.
While at Vibrant Gujarat, he will witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the UK’s Abertay University and India’s École Intuit Lab as a partnership agreement geared towards teaching, research and innovation expertise shared between the two organisations.
PTI