16-Dec-2022: Indo-UK workshop highlights commitment towards environmental goals of both countries

Dr. Srivari Chandrasekhar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology (DST), highlighted India’s commitment towards environmental goals, which includes consistent efforts towards the development of mitigation & monitoring solutions for environmental pollution and techno-based pathways for reducing carbon emissions to achieve net zero targets, at the Indo-UK Scoping Workshop on Low-Cost Environmental Sensors held yesterday.

Highlighting DST’s contribution towards carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) at the inauguration of the workshop, he said that DST has actively engaged in advancing R&D and capacity building in CCUS and has established Indian CO2 Sequestrian Applied Research (ICOSAR) Network.

The two-day workshop has been jointly organised by DST and UKRI/NERC from 14th -15th December 2022 to identify gaps and opportunities for research and start-ups to build collaborations between the academic communities in India and UK in the area of Environmental sensors.

Talking about the joint India UK programme on clean water under which the workshop on sensors was organised, Dr. Chandrasekhar pointed out, “The joint programme of DST, Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) UK, and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) of UKRI, aimed to improve water quality by providing a better understanding of the sources and fate of emerging pollutants in both the countries and support management strategies through the development of low-cost environmental monitoring sensors (LEMS).”

During the event, Dr. Chandrasekhar and British High Commissioner to India Alexander Ellis released the two Indo- UK Scoping reports on the Low-Cost Environmental Sensors and Carbon capture Utilisation and storage (CCUS).

“DST and UKRI has jointly worked on mapping the existing research landscape, and this Indo-UK report on environmental sensors is an outcome of the mapping activity that India and the UK jointly commissioned. It plots the existing and ongoing research landscape in environmental sensors in India and the UK and attempts to identify the opportunities for bilateral collaboration,” Dr. Chandrasekhar pointed out.

“This Indo-UK Scoping report on CCUS is a result of collaboration between India and the UK to understand the research and development in this domain and identify the complementary strengths and gaps in the two countries,” he added.

He also underlined that India became a part of the international MI platform, along with other 21 member countries, including the UK, for collaborative research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) on Innovation Challenge IC#3 focusing on CCUS. DST India, the UK, and other ACT member countries are also participating in the multilateral Accelerating CCUS Technologies (ACT) platform for adopting best global practices” Dr S Chandrashekhar further outlined.

British High Commissioner to India Alexander Ellis said that India and UK both agreed last year that sustainable development goals and climate change are the basic pillars of their collaborations. “To combat climate change, we need adequate data for policy and actions as well as adopt suitable management approaches. So, the need of the hour is low-cost environmental monitoring sensors,” he added.

Officials from DST and UKRI / NERC/ EPSRC along with domain experts from both sides participated in the Scoping workshop on Environmental Sensors.

13-Dec-2022: Shri Piyush Goyal meets UK’s Secretary of State, Ms. Kemi Badenoch to discuss India-UK FTA negotiations

The Minister for Commerce and Industry of India, Shri Piyush Goyal, and UK Secretary of State for International Trade, Ms. Kemi Badenoch, MP, met today in New Delhi to discuss India-UK FTA negotiations.

Discussions were carried out on the India-UK FTA negotiations and the range of bilateral trade and economic relations. Both Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the ongoing India-UK FTA negotiations which would unlock the full potential of boosting jobs, investments and exports between the two countries. It was noted that the 6th Round of India-UK FTA negotiations is presently underway in New Delhi. While expressing satisfaction on the state of negotiations it was agreed that the negotiations will continue further with the aim to conclude the same at the earliest. The Ministers urged the negotiating team to work together with an aim to iron out the differences in the spirit of mutual accommodation based on the principle of reciprocity and respect for each other’s sensitivities, for a balanced, mutually beneficial, fair and equitable outcome.

The bilateral meeting was followed by interaction of the two ministers with the India and the UK Businesses. The Minister for Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal mentioned that India and UK investment and economic relations are already strong and grown over the years. India has adopted an export led strategy to spin its growth story which is inclusive and sustainable. The Indian Government has also come out with many policies and reforms including PLI scheme, National Infrastructure Pipeline, Development Finance Institution and privatization of non-strategic sectors PSU. Further, various Ease of Doing Business initiatives have been taken including digitization of processes and clearances, simplification of procedures, weeding out of old and archaic laws, etc. He urged the businesses in India and the UK to take advantages of these initiatives for economic prosperity of both countries.

16-Nov-2022: Prime Minister's meeting with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on the sidelines of G-20 Summit in Bali

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met Rt. Hon. Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Bali today.

This was the first meeting between the two leaders. Prime Minister congratulated Prime Minister Sunak on assuming office.

The two leaders expressed satisfaction at the state of the wide-ranging India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and progress on the Roadmap 2030 for Future Relations. The two leaders appreciated the importance of working together in bilateral and multilateral forums including G20 and the Commonwealth.

Discussions touched upon important sectors of collaboration such as trade, mobility, defence and security.

4-Oct-2022: Defence Secretary co-chairs India-UK Defence Consultative Group (DCG) meeting

Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar co-chaired the India-UK Defence Consultative Group (DCG) meeting with his counterpart Mr. David Williams, UK Permanent Under Secretary of State for Defence in London on 03 October, 2022.  They reviewed the progress of various Service level bilateral groups and other defence cooperation mechanisms.

 Dr Ajay Kumar held discussion on wide range of issues relating to the defence and industrial cooperation between India and UK. Both sides considered new areas for defence industrial cooperation, explored emerging domains such as cyber and Artificial Intelligence, and committed to work together for strengthening the bilateral defence relationship.

Later, Defence Secretary also held a bilateral meeting with UK NSA Sir Tim Barrow. They discussed a number of key defence and security issues.

7-Sep-2022: Cabinet approves the Memorandum of Understanding signed on mutual recognition of academic qualifications between India and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The Union Cabinet in its meeting held on 07.09.2022 chaired by Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi granted ex post facto approval for the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on mutual recognition of academic qualifications signed on 25.04.2022.

Mutual Recognition of Qualifications between India and UK aims to promote academic collaboration and student mobility. The request from UK side to grant recognition to their One Year Masters Programme was considered, and during the meeting between the Education Ministers of the two countries held on 16 December 2020 in New Delhi, a decision was taken to set up a joint task force for this purpose. The first meeting was held on 04th February, 2021 and subsequently after detailed deliberations and negotiations both sides agreed on the draft MoU.

The MoU aims to facilitate the mutual recognition of educational qualifications, periods of study undertaken, documents related to academic degrees/qualifications and accreditation by educational institutions within the two countries. Professional degrees like Engineering, Medicine, Nursing and Para-Medical Education, Pharmacy, Law, and Architecture are out of the purview of this MoU. It will also facilitate establishment of Joint/Dual degree courses between Higher Education Institutions, one of our objectives under NEP 2020 for Intel-nationalization of Education.

This MoU will promote bilateral exchange of information about educational structure, programs and standards and increase mobility of students and professionals between the two countries. It will also encourage other areas of cooperation in education sector, development of study programs as mutually agreed upon by the Parties.

This MoU shall recognize equivalence in accordance with parity with regard to acceptability of qualifications as approved under national policy, law, rules and regulations of the two countries.

6-Sep-2022: India & UK conducts Counter Ransomware Exercise for 26 Nations

India’s National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) and the UK Government in collaboration with BAE Systems successfully designed & conducted the Cyber Security Exercise for 26 Countries as part of the International Counter Ransomware Initiative- Resilience Working Group which is being led by India under the leadership of National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC).

The exercise has been facilitated by BAE Systems via the Immersive Labs platform, and the scenario has been written specifically for the participants based on Threat Intelligence and operational experiences.

The theme of the exercise is based on Energy Sector in which the respective National Cyber Crisis Management Teams of the CRI Partner Nations will have to deal with a ransomware attack on multiple electricity distribution companies. These companies are responsible for the distribution of electricity to domestic customers and are the last link to the public supply. The exercise explores the complexity of decision-making around response to ransomware on Critical National Infrastructure.

There are over 26 invitees, from CRI Partner Nations and their respective organisations; including Cyber Security, National Crisis Management, National Security Policy, Critical National Infrastructure, and Law Enforcement Agencies.

The aim to organise this virtual Cyber Exercise on Ransomware Resilience is to simulate a large, wide-spread cyber security incident affecting organisations within a country. This exercise has been designed to support the mission of the CRI, and aims to allow participating CRI Members to test their capability to respond to a major ransomware incident; Demonstrates the benefit of sharing information and collaborating during a major incident; provide opportunities for the CRI Nations to share their approaches to countering ransomware.

23-Aug-2022: India-UK agree to exchange experiences and best practices in areas of working of commercial courts, and ADR mechanisms like arbitration and mediation

During the recent meeting of India-UK Joint Consultative Committee (JCC), a broad agreement was reached to facilitate exchange of experiences and best practices in the area of  working of commercial courts, alternate dispute resolution mechanisms like arbitration and mediation, use of technology in case management,  justice dispensation and enforcement of contracts and in area of simple legislative drafting. It was further agreed that training and capacity enhancement programmes would be conducted in reputed Institutes for legal advisers, draftsman, judicial officers, prosecutors and legal professionals and in time bound manner.

The Government of India and United Kingdom had on 10th July 2018 entered into a MoU for promoting cooperation between both countries, in the sphere of Law and Justice. A Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) has been constituted in terms of the MoU to carry out its objectives by firming up the way forward in areas of cooperation. The third in-person meeting of the JCC was held at New Delhi on 18th August 2022 at New Delhi.

The Indian delegation was led by Dr. Niten Chandra, Law Secretary. Senior officers of the Department of Legal Affairs, Legislative Department and Department of Justice, Member Secretary NALSA and Director Indian Law Institute, New Delhi participated in the deliberations from the Indian side. The UK side was led by Dr. Jo Farrar, Second Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Government of UK. She was accompanied by Senior officers of Ministry of Justice and British High Commission at New Delhi. Both the Leaders Co-chaired the meetings.

As regards the subject of framing regulations for entry of UK Law Firms and Lawyers under the MoU was concerned, the same was discussed separately in the Legal Services Committee (LSC) meeting held later in the day on 18th August 2022. The Committee consists of officers of both the countries as stated above, and representatives of the Bar Council of India (BCI) and the Law Society of England and Wales.    The Legal Services Committee in its meeting  recalled the outcome of the   India-UK virtual summit held on 4th May, 2021, between the Hon’ble Prime Ministers of India and UK and the launch of the ‘Enhanced Trade Partnership’ (ETP) to unleash the trade potential between the two countries who had also agreed to facilitate each other’s market-access concerns including the opening of  legal services sector in India, on reciprocal basis.

The LSC deliberations were also attended by the British High Commissioner to India,  H.E. Alex Ellis. The meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere wherein both the sides appreciated each other's concern to the challenges in the opening of the legal services sector. The President Law Society of England and Wales along with her team joined the meeting virtually.  She explained in detail the regulations which determine the areas of court practice and legal advice by non UK qualified lawyers. Secretary BCI, emphasised about the responsibilities vested in the Council to protect the rights, privileges and interest of lawyers, whom they represent.  However, the representatives of both the countries appreciating the potential benefits of the opening up of legal services sector to the respective economies, agreed in principle to work together to find common ground for benefit of all stakeholders.

11-Aug-2022: India and UK conclude fifth round of talks for India-UK Free Trade Agreement

On 29 July 2022, the Republic of India and the United Kingdom concluded the fifth round of talks for an India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Negotiation officials undertook these technical talks in a hybrid fashion – with some of the teams meeting in New Delhi, India, and the majority of officials joining virtually.   For this round of negotiations, technical experts from both sides came together for detailed draft treaty text discussions in 85 separate sessions covering 15 policy areas. Indian and UK officials will continue to work intensively throughout the summer towards our target to conclude the majority of talks on a comprehensive and balanced Free Trade Agreement by the end of October 2022.

27-Jul-2022: Cabinet approves signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRD&PR) and University of Reading (UoR), United Kingdom (UK)

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, was apprised of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed  between National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) and University of Reading (UoR), United Kingdom (UK) for collaboration in the field of agriculture and rural development in developing countries.  The MoU was signed in March, 2022.

Impact: This MoU will help NIRDPR faculty in acquiring and widening their knowledge, and develop an international professional network in agriculture, nutrition and rural development.

Both the institutes together can bring a considerable amount of research expertise in agricultural economics, rural development, livelihoods and nutrition studies that is required for the emerging inter-disciplinary area of research and capacity building.

Background: NIRDPR has been involved with University of Reading in various research activities in the field of rural development like improvement of nutrition assessment by measuring energy expenditure, use of wearable accelerometric and sensor based devices in agricultural livelihoods research in low and middle income countries, and also in the area of Women and Child Development.

21-Jul-2022: India and the UK sign an MoU to increase educational opportunities for Indian students

The India-UK trade talks are on track. Speaking to media after signing two MoUs and a framework agreement with UK, Commerce Secretary B. V. R. Subrahmanyam said that the India-UK FTA negotiations would be concluded by 31st August and after internal approvals on both sides, the agreement would be ready to be signed as per convenience of the both leaders. “Irrespective of party in power in UK, the logic of FTA with India is irreversible,” he added.

Earlier, Shri B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, Commerce Secretary, Government of India and Mr. James Bowler, Permanent Secretary, Department of International Trade, United Kingdom; India and the UK signed two MoUs on mutual recognition of educational qualifications including maritime education and a Framework Agreement on health care work force.  These agreements will facilitate closer alignment on education between India and UK, enhance short-term bilateral mobility and ensure mutual recognition of qualifications.

These agreements are part of the commitments made by both parties under the Enhanced Trade Partnership' (ETP) launched by the Prime Ministers of both countries on 4th May 2021 to unleash the trade potential of the partnership by doubling trade by 2030 and reducing market barriers to trade in key sectors.  Following the launch of ETP, both sides had also launched negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement on 13th January 2022. The 5th round of negotiations, which is hosted by India, is currently underway in Delhi. The meeting also took stock of the progress made towards the signing of FTA.

The MoU on Education was signed by Shri K. Sanjay Murthy, Secretary, Department of Higher Education on behalf of Government of India. This MoU provides for mutual recognition of educational qualifications and duration of study undertaken by students within duly approved and recognized higher education institutions in the two countries. On a reciprocal basis, Indian Senior Secondary School/Pre-University Certificates will be considered suitable for entry into UK higher education institutions. Similarly, the Bachelor degree, Master’s degree and Doctoral degree of India and the UK will also be considered equivalent to each other. Apart from encouraging student mobility, the mutual recognition of qualifications would also promote excellence in higher education through cooperation, academic and research exchanges.

The MOU on maritime education qualification was signed by Shri Amitabh Kumar, Director General of Shipping on behalf of Government of India.   This MoU will pave the way for the two governments to mutually recognize the certificates of maritime education and training, competency and endorsements of seafarers issued by each other. The MoU will prove beneficial for employment of seafarers of both the countries and would make them eligible for employment on ships of either party. India being a seafarer supplying nation with large pool of trained seafarers, it is expected to be significantly benefitted by the MoU.

From Indian side, the Framework Agreement on Healthcare Workforce was signed by Ms. V. Hekali Zhimomi, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The Agreement include cooperation on Nursing & Allied Health Professionals (AHPs), training of healthcare professionals and measures to bridge the skill gap. The agreement will facilitate the recruitment and training of nurses and AHPs from India by UK in a streamlined manner. Given the shortage of nurses in the UK, the agreement will benefit both the sides.

22-Apr-2022: Visit of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to India (April 21-22, 2022)

The Rt Hon’ble Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is on an official visit to India from 21-22 April 2022, on the invitation of the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi. This is his first visit to India as Prime Minister of UK.

Prime Minister Johnson was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on 22 April, 2022, where he was received by Prime Minister Modi. PM Johnson later visited Raj Ghat to lay a wreath and pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

Prime Minister Modi held bilateral consultations with the visiting Prime Minister at Hyderabad House and also hosted a banquet in his honour. Earlier, External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, called on the UK Prime Minister.

In the bilateral talks, the two Prime Ministers appreciated the progress made on the Roadmap 2030 launched at the Virtual Summit in May 2021 and reiterated their commitment to pursue a more robust and action oriented cooperation across the full spectrum of bilateral relations. They appreciated the progress in ongoing FTA negotiations and implementation of the Enhanced Trade Partnership and agreed to conclude a comprehensive and balanced trade deal by the end October 2022. The FTA would pave the way for doubling of bilateral trade by 2030.

Both leaders agreed to transform defence and security cooperation as a key element of India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and discussed opportunities for defence collaboration including on co-development and co-production for meeting the needs of Armed Forces of both the countries. Both sides issued a Joint Statement for further intensifying cooperation on Cyber Security particularly in the areas of cyber governance, cyber deterrence and safeguarding critical national infrastructure. They also agreed to closely cooperate on countering the persistent threat of terrorism and radical extremism.

Both Prime Ministers also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest including cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, Afghanistan, UNSC, G20 and Commonwealth. India welcomed the UK joining Indo-Pacific Ocean’s Initiative under Maritime Security pillar and agreed to enhance engagements in the Indo-Pacific region.

The two leaders also discussed the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict. Prime Minister Modi expressed deep concern at the mounting humanitarian crisis and reiterated his call for immediate cessation of violence and return to direct dialogue and diplomacy as the only way forward.

PM Modi congratulated Prime Minister Johnson for successful organization of COP26 last year. They reiterated commitment to ambitious climate action to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and in implementing the Glasgow Climate Pact. They agreed to enhance cooperation on rapid deployment of clean energy including off-shore wind energy and green hydrogen and work closely for early operationalisation of the Global Green Grids-One Sun One World One Grid Initiative (OSOWOG) under ISA and the IRIS platform under CDRI which were jointly launched by India and UK at COP26.

Two MoUs on implementation of India-UK Global Innovation Partnership and on the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership (GCNEP) were exchanged during the visit. Through the Global Innovation Partnership, India and UK have agreed to co-finance up to £ 75 million to support the transfer and scale up of climate smart sustainable innovations to third countries. The novel GIP Fund created under this Partnership will also aim to raise additional £ 100 million from the market to support Indian innovations.

The following announcements were also made - (I) Strategic Tech Dialogue – Ministerial-level dialogue on new and emerging communication technologies such as 5G, AI etc. (II) Collaboration on Integrated Electric Propulsion – Co-development of technology between the two Navies.

Prime Minister Johnson had earlier on April 21 started his visit from Ahmedabad, Gujarat where he visited Sabarmati Ashram, JCB plant at Maswad Industrial Estate, Vadodara, and the Gujarat Biotechnology University in GIFT City, Gandhinagar.

Prime Minister Modi invited Prime Minister Johnson to India in 2023 for G20 Summit under India’s Presidency. Prime Minister Johnson reiterated his invitation to Prime Minister Modi to visit UK. Prime Minister Modi accepted the invitation.

30-Mar-2022: India UK science and innovation policy dialogue

The India UK science and innovation policy dialogue discussed the priorities of future India-UK collaborations with focus on strengthening the startup ecosystem, net-zero economy, climate change mitigation and adaptation, sustainable technologies, health innovations, clean energy, R&D translation, and new and emerging technologies.

Dr. S Chandrasekhar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India, suggested bringing investors and young innovators together through activities like roadshows so that startups with academic backgrounds can be supported right from the idea stage to commercialisation of the product.

“We believe that global challenges we face today do not respect geopolitical boundaries and hence can be effectively addressed through scientific collaboration and not competition. Indian scientists are globally recognized for basic and fundamental research. But the conversion of research into commercial technologies for wealth creation and lab to market transition is a challenge we need to face head-on,” Dr. Chandrasekhar said.

Dr. Chandrasekhar mentioned that joint research leading to the development of commercially viable products, processes, or services would provide greater returns in terms of economic and societal benefit to the common man and on money spent by the two governments on R&D.

“Today, when India is celebrating the 75th year of its Independence, the roadmap for the next 25 years for India will be determined by scientific and technological innovations in all walks of life,” he added.

Chief Scientific Advisor at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy at the Government of UK and UK Co-Chair Prof. Paul Monks underlined that the two countries which have some of the best scientific minds need to work together on using Science & Technology for climate adaptation and mitigation solutions for decarbonising the economy and move towards a net-zero economy which is a key challenge of the future.

British High Commissioner to India Alexander Ellis stressed the importance of S&T in a contested world and said that the two countries which have a strong legacy of collaboration should work on challenges like climate change, health, enabling flow of goods and services, translation of R&D and so on to solve global problems.

Shri Sandeep Chakraborty, Jt Secretary Europe West, Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India, highlighted that Science & Technology pervades all areas of cooperation between the two countries and need to be discussed at great length.

The India UK STI Collaboration mainly focuses on human capacity building, joint research, and translating research into applicable technologies.

Shri S K Varshney, Head, International Division, DST, briefed about the modalities of international cooperation and talked about the five major technology missions Cyber-Physical Systems; Electric Mobility Mission, Quantum Science & Technology; Clean Fuels: Methanol Mission, and Map India.

Delegates also discussed possibilities of cooperation in areas like Indo UK Scoping activities on environmental sensors, CCUS technologies, electric mobility, net-zero technologies, advanced manufacturing; revival of industry R&D programme and frontiers of science; new and emerging technologies, participation of women in science, startups and innovations, rejuvenation /strengthening of Newton-Bhabha Ph. D. Placement and other fellowship Programme; India UK Centre of Excellence in Green Hydrogen; female researcher mobility to top UK laboratories (POWER); institutional links for early career researchers, outreach of VAJRA and SIRE programs in UK academic community (international programs).

The policy dialogue was attended by several senior officials from Ministry of Earth Sciences, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Technology Development Board (TDB), India and UK who would in the future interact to take the discussions forward.

25-Mar-2022: India and UK conclude second round of talks for India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA)

On Thursday 17 March 2022, the Republic of India and the United Kingdom concluded the second round of talks for an India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

A delegation of Indian officials undertook technical talks in London. The negotiations were conducted in a hybrid fashion, with some negotiators in a dedicated UK negotiations facility, and others attending virtually.

For this round of negotiations, draft treaty text was shared and discussed across most chapters that will make up the agreement.  Technical experts from both sides came together for discussions in 64 separate sessions covering 26 policy areas.

The third round of negotiations is due to be hosted by India in April 2022.

10-Feb-2022: 4th India-UK Home Affairs Dialogue

The 4th India-UK Home Affairs Dialogue was held today in virtual mode. The Indian delegation was led by Union Home Secretary, Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla, and the UK delegation was led by Permanent Secretary, Home Office, Mr. Mathew Rycroft.

The Dialogue covered a wide range of issues including Homeland Security, Cyber Security, Extradition cases, Migration & Mobility, etc. India impressed upon the UK authorities the need to expedite the pending extradition cases.

The Indian side communicated concerns on the anti-India activities of certain extremists and radical elements in the UK. The UK side was urged to maintain vigil over the activities of such elements and take appropriate proactive action. It was agreed to maintain enhanced security cooperation between the two countries.

The meeting concluded with both sides agreeing to deepen security-related bilateral engagement.

18-Jan-2022: Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh addresses India-UK meet on “Sustaining Food Production under Environmental Stress”

Addressing the joint India-UK meet on “Sustaining Food Production under Environmental Stress”, through virtual mode today, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh called for collaboration between the two nations on issues of mutual concern like achieving the goals of food security and zero hunger.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, India and UK must invite global collaborations in various dimensions of science like agriculture, medicine, food, pharma, engineering or defense. The Workshop is being organized jointly by National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI), Mohali, an institute under Department of Biotechnology, Government of India and University of Birmingham, UK and supported by Newton Bhabha Fund and British Council.

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the aim of the Indian Government has been to enable farmers to feed India and the world. He said, India's efforts to safeguard the Food Security needs of every citizen in the country have been unprecedented as Prime Minister Modi even ensured that no person goes hungry during pandemic time. Moreover, policies have been framed to protect interests of small and marginal farmers, and conserve local food cultures which in turn will significantly contribute to food security, the Minister added.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, India-UK joint collaboration may include programmes like students exchange, basic research, technology development, product development as well as product/process demonstration and their implementation in joint collaboration. The Minister said, COVID demonstrated that Science is the only major key tool to find solutions and to give solutions for tough times to be faced by the mankind. He pointed out that Indian science has proved the capability to produce vaccines for such a high risk/ devastating disease in a very limited time and at the same time added that we should not restrict our ideas to Indian perspectives, rather there should have a global horizon.

Dwelling on the issue of Sustainable Food Production, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the South Asian region is facing the shrinking arable land, besides the problem of global climate change that needs to be addressed. Quoting World Bank data, the Minister pointed out that the Arable land in South Asia was reported at 43.18 % in 2018 which has been stagnant since the early 1970s and recently declining. He said, growth in yields and more intensive use of land will account for all of the growth in crop production and will also compensate for losses in the arable land area.

Underlining that the global pattern of food production and distribution may need to shift significantly as climate change progresses, Dr Jitendra Singh called for joint funding to develop a coherent and stakeholder-relevant R&D program that will address this challenge. He said, the initiative by the British Council to support such interactive meet among the researchers with a common goal will seek attention from the stakeholders and nurture the young investigators to provide them with an excellent platform to share and rear the ideas.

Dr Jitendra Singh noted with satisfaction that this workshop is meant to bring the scientists across the two countries including 22 outstanding experts in the theme areas from both UK and India, that is, 20 young investigators from both the countries working on a range of important crops in relation to climate change. The Minister suggested evolving important key areas in agriculture, food and nutrition to be taken by the two countries for joint research plans. We know that NABI was established a decade back with the primary focus of improving nutritional quality of foods that reaches to our people across the country. NABI is a premier institute that works at the interface of Agri-Food and Nutrition Biotechnology. The institute could provide an impetus to the nations need for addressing nutritional security even under the climatic changes happening around the world.

25-Nov-2021: Science Ministers from India and UK discuss Green Energy collaboration

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh held an online meeting with the United Kingdom (UK) Science Minister, George Freeman, wherein the two discussed Green Energy collaboration between the two countries as well as host of other issues of mutual interest.

The Indian Minister informed his British counterpart that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the UK has emerged as India’s second largest international research and innovation partner. The India-UK Science & Technology (S&T) collaboration has been growing at a rapid pace and the joint research programme has gone from an almost zero base to close to £300-400 million now, he said.

Dwelling on the issue of India’s net zero journey, Dr Jitendra Singh said, energy efficiency and renewable energy are central pillars, where India has already taken lead by various initiatives like India Solar Alliance, Clean energy mission etc.

Calling for greater India-UK collaboration in clean and green energy areas, the Minister said, four technology value chains contribute about half of the cumulative CO2 savings: technologies to widely electrify end-use sectors (such as advanced batteries); carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS); hydrogen and hydrogen-related fuels; and bioenergy. He also fagged off areas like affordable biomaterials, health data science, and livestock research, neuroscience wherein officials/scientists from both sides can discuss and explore possibilities of future collaborations.

Dr Jitendra Singh pointed out that the Newton Bhabha MoU provided an opportunity to take India UK S&T cooperation to the next level in various research areas, for example energy security, food and agriculture, water, health, climate change, environmental studies as well as social and cultural changes that are taking place in India. The Minister appreciated the outcome of Newton Bhabha MoU and said he look forward to develop more much bilateral collaborations of mutual benefit with dedicated financial commitments.

Dr Jitendra Singh said that India will join G20 troika in few days from 1st December this year and will hold the G20 presidency from December 1, next year and India plans to convene the G20 leaders' summit in 2023 for the first time. He said, the S20 group (Science track of G-20) has the most important responsibility to engage with all stake holders in the spirit of collective foresight and develop science-based solutions to counter the multitude of challenges faced by the humanity. The Minister said that India supports the “ONE HEALTH” approach and it has proposed “Global Equitability for Health Infrastructure Development” to counter future challenges like current pandemic” as the theme for the next S-20 Summit to be held in India.

Dr Jitendra Singh said that this multidimensional, multi-institutional, multi-agency cooperation covers energy security, food and agriculture, water, climate change, environmental studies as well as social and cultural changes that are taking place in both countries. He recalled that during the last India UK virtual summit held during May 2021, Prime Ministers from both countries emphasized their shared commitment to an enhanced partnership in science, education, research and innovation and look forward to the next ministerial Science and Innovation Council (SIC).

Dr Jitendra Singh informed that the “Science and Innovation Council” (SIC), is apex body to review overall bilateral scientific cooperation (except strategic sector) between two countries and it is held once in two years alternatively in India and the UK. SIC reviews bilateral scientific collaboration, not only of our DST, DBT, MOES, CSIR but also of DAE, ICMR, ICAR, Ministry of Education, ICSSR with counterpart UK agencies. Last SIC meeting was held at New Delhi on 26th July 2018.

India UK S & T partnership covers all aspect of Research and Innovation from discovery to development to translation which is required for our nations to rise to new heights together.

In the recent past, Govt of India has launched several flagship initiatives such National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber Physical Systems(ICPS); Quantum Computing and Communication; National Mission on Supercomputing, Deep Ocean Mission, Electric Mobility, Green hydrogen etc. India is also on the way to announce its new policy, which revolves around the core principles of being decentralized, evidence informed, bottom-up, experts-driven, and inclusive.

The present Government has laid emphasis on promoting the value chain of innovation, entrepreneurship and IP generation. The Indian innovation system is more purpose driven rather than process driven with focus on affordability and accessibility.

There is great need to enhance industry-led collaborations or industry participation both at the national as well as international levels to ensure application oriented technologies for solving societal needs and spur innovation.

1-Nov-2021: Bilateral Meeting between Prime Minister and the Prime Minister of UK on the sidelines of COP26 in Glasgow

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, The Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP on the sidelines of the COP26 World Leaders Summit in Glasgow on 1 November 2021.

Prime Minister congratulated PM Johnson for successfully organising the COP26 and for his personal leadership in championing global action for climate change mitigation and adaptation. He reiterated India's commitment to closely work with the UK on climate finance, technology, innovation and adaptation green hydrogen, renewables and clean technologies including joint initiatives under ISA and CDRI.

The two Prime Ministers reviewed the implementation of the Roadmap 2030 priorities particularly in the trade and economy, people-to-people, health, defence and security areas. They expressed satisfaction at the progress in delivering the Enhanced Trade Partnership including steps taken towards the launch of FTA negotiations.

Both leaders also discussed regional and global challenges including Afghanistan, Counter-Terrorism, Indo-Pacific, supply chain resilience and post-Covid global economic recovery.

Prime Minister reiterated his desire to welcome PM Johnson in India soon.

9-Oct-2021: 3rd India – UK Energy for Growth Partnership – Ministerial Energy Dialogue

The 3rd India – UK Energy for Growth Partnership – Ministerial Energy Dialogue was co-chaired by Union Minister for Power and New &Renewable Energy, Shri R.K. Singh from the Indian side and the Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP, Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) from the UK side. The dialogue was held last evening virtually.

Energy Transition was a major area of discussion in the dialogue and the Energy Ministers spoke in detail on the ongoing Energy Transition activities in their respective countries with focus on renewables, including solar, offshore wind, storage, EVs, alternative fuels, etc.

The UK side presented a detailed summary of the significant ongoing work and the past work done in the last two years under the umbrella of bilateral cooperation which was appreciated and endorsed by both the sides.

The dignitaries welcomed the Roadmap 2030 for India-UK future relations launched by both the Prime Ministers during India-UK Virtual Summit on 4th May 2021 and identified various future areas of collaboration in line with the Roadmap 2030.

The sides deliberated and agreed on a Forward Action Plan on Power and Clean Transport, Renewables, Green Finance and Clean Energy Research as part of the roadmap 2030, covering a range of topics including smart grids, energy storage, green hydrogen, charging infrastructure, battery storage and need of mobilizing investments in renewable energy along with other proposals under multilateral collaboration.

The dialogue concluded with both sides underlining the importance of international cooperation in securing affordable and sustainable energy for the world while setting in motion, concrete action plans for driving the clean energy transition in Power Sector. Union Minister for Power and NRE specifically detailed ambitious targets in areas such as green hydrogen, storage, offshore wind and electricity market. He further hoped that the One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG) initiative launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister could act as a promising alternative to support the RE integration in the grid.

2-Sep-2021: Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman leads Indian delegation in 11th UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue

The 11th India-United Kingdom Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) was held here today, virtually chaired by Indian Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman and the United Kingdom Treasury Chancellor Mr. Rishi Sunak.

The Indian delegation included Governor RBI, Chairman SEBI, Chairman IFSCA, Secretary Economic Affairs and other representatives from Ministry of Finance, Ministry of External Affairs and Indian High Commission, UK.

The UK delegation included Governor Bank of England, CEO Financial Conduct Authority, Economic Secretary and other representatives from UK HMT.

The Dialogue, inter alia, covered discussions on economic cooperation on multilateral issues, including G20 and COP26. Both sides deliberated on furthering of Financial Services collaboration with special emphasis on Fin-Tech and GIFT City, annual India-UK Financial Market Dialogue and measures underway to reform financial markets. Infrastructure development and promotion of sustainable finance and climate finance were also discussed.

Private sector initiatives under India-UK Financial Partnership (IUKFP) and India-UK Sustainable Finance Working Group including its progress were also discussed. The Climate Finance Leadership Initiative (CFLI) India partnership was launched today by both sides which aims to work with financial institutions, corporates, and existing sustainable finance initiatives to accelerate efforts to mobilise capital into India. Both sides agreed to continue to work together to mobilise finances via multilateral and private means and sharing relevant experience, including of the UK’s upcoming sovereign green bond issuance.

The 11th Economic and Financial Dialogue concluded with adoption of Joint Statement by Union Finance Minister and Chancellor of Exchequer of United Kingdom and release of the Joint Statement on Climate Finance Leadership Initiative (CFLI) India partnership.

9-Jul-2021: India-UK hold Financial Market dialogue via virtual mode

India and the United Kingdom (UK) held the inaugural meeting of the India-UK Financial Markets Dialogue (‘the Dialogue’) virtually late evening yesterday. The Dialogue was established at the 10th Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) in October 2020 to deepen bilateral ties in the financial sector.

The Dialogue was led by senior officials from the Indian side by the Ministry of Finance and from UK, Her Majesty’s Treasury, with participation from Indian and UK independent regulatory agencies, including the Reserve Bank of India, the Securities and Exchange Board of India, International Financial Services Centre Authority, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India, the Bank of England, and the Financial Conduct Authority.

Discussions during the Dialogue were focused on four themes:

1. GIFT (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City) City, India’s flagship international financial centre,
2. banking and payments,
3. insurance, and
4. capital markets

Following the government-to-government discussion on these issues, private sector partners were invited to the discussion. The City of London Corporation’s Capital Markets Working Group presented their work on the Indian corporate bond market, and the India-UK Financial Partnership presented their recommendations on the UK-India financial services relationship, particularly on development of GIFT City as global services hub.

As two services driven economies, both sides agreed that there is significant scope for strengthening the financial services cooperation between India and the UK. They also concurred to continue to engage bilaterally on these areas in the coming months, in the run up to the next EFD and the beginning of negotiations for a future India-UK FTA, both expected to take place later this year.

9-Jul-2021: Joint Statement on the 1st India-UK Financial Markets Dialogue

India and the UK held the inaugural meeting of the India-UK Financial Markets Dialogue (‘the Dialogue’)virtually on late evening yesterday. The Dialogue was established at the 10thEconomic and Financial Dialogue (EFD)in October 2020 to deepen bilateral ties in the financial sector. Financial Cooperation is one of the key pillars of the 2030 Roadmap adopted by the two countries during the recent meeting of the two Prime Ministers and the India-UK Financial Market Dialogue is one of the key elements of this Financial Cooperation. As two services driven economies, both sides agreed there is significant scope for strengthened financial services cooperation between India and the UK.

The Dialogue was led by senior officials from the Indian Ministry of Finance and HM Treasury, with participation from Indian and UK independent regulatory agencies, including the Reserve Bank of India, the Securities and Exchange Board of India, International Financial Services Centre Authority, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India, the Bank of England, and the Financial Conduct Authority. Indian and UK participants shared views on issues in their respective areas of responsibility.

The Dialogue began with a government to government discussion, focused on four themes: (1) GIFT (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City)City, India’s flagship international financial centre, (2) banking and payments, (3) insurance, and (4) capital markets. Following the government-to-government discussion, private sector partners were invited to the discussion. The City of London Corporation’s Capital Markets Working Group presented their work on the Indian corporate bond market, and the India-UK Financial Partnership presented their recommendations on the UK-India financial services relationship.

At the meeting, Indian and UK participants discussed progress on the UK-India GIFT City Strategic Partnership. Both sides agreed on areas for further collaboration, including sustainable finance and FinTech, with the aim of supporting increased UK industry presence in the centre.

Participants provided updates on their respective banking and payments landscapes, with a view to increase cross-border activity in this area. The Bank of England discussed its work on cyber resilience. Both sides also recognised the key role the banking sector has played in maintaining stability during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Participants discussed matters relating to the insurance sector, including domestic updates on the impact of Covid-19, opportunities to encourage increased UK investment in the Indian market, and the UK Solvency II Call for Evidence.

Participants also took stock of capital markets cooperation. The UK outlined progress on regulatory reforms, including through the Wholesale Markets Review and the Lord Hill Listings Review. There was also a productive discussion on opportunities for increased cross-border activity, including an update from India on implementation of the direct listings policy.

Both sides agreed to continue to engage bilaterally on these areas in the coming months, in the run up to the next EFD and the beginning of negotiations for a future India-UK FTA, both expected to take place later this year.

Participants then welcomed leaders of the India-UK Financial Partnership (IUKFP), noting the significant progress achieved since the last EFD in contributing to policy development, particularly the Partnership’s efforts towards promoting greater links between GIFT City and the UK financial services ecosystem. Both sides look forward to formally collaborating with the Partnership’s FinTech workstream at the next UK-India FinTech Joint Working Group meeting and to the launch of policy papers on GIFT City, FinTech and cross-border trade and investment at the next EFD and beyond.

Finally, the City of London Corporation India-UK Capital Markets Working Group presented its recommendations from its recently published paper on ‘Unleashing the potential of the Indian Debt Capital Markets’. The report focused on enhancing the Indian Debt Capital markets ecosystem, as well as making it easier for Indian companies to raise capital internationally – to support India’s growth potential, infrastructure needs and enhancing the country’s sustainable energy capacity. The recommendations include areas such as reforms to primary issuances, secondary markets, taxation rules, market ecosystem and ESG.

3-Jun-2021: India and UK launch new workstream to promote industrial energy efficiency at the ongoing 12th Chief Energy Ministerial

India along with Govt. of United Kingdom launched new workstream to promote industrial energy efficiency under the Clean Energy Ministerial’s (CEM) – Industrial Deep Decarbonization Initiative  (IDDI) coordinated by UNIDO , at the 12th Chief Energy Ministerial (CEM) . The 12th CEM is ongoing from May 31st and will continue till 6th June 2021.

The IDDI initiative has been supported by Germany and Canada, with more countries expected to join soon. The objective is to infuse green technologies and  stimulate demand for low-carbon industrial material

Shri Alok Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of  Power highlighted that India is committed to cut emissions intensity per unit of GDP by 33 to 35 per cent by 2030.

The commitment hinges on effective deployment of low carbon technologies in Energy Intensive Sectors like Iron & Steel, Cement and Petrochemicals. He elaborated that Govt policies have resulted in substantial savings in energy at demand side.

7-May-2021: India-UK virtual summit strengthens STI cooperation

The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed on a common vision of a new and transformational Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the UK and India, and adopted an ambitious India-UK Roadmap to 2030 to steer cooperation for the next 10 years.

Both leaders met virtually on 4 May 2021 and emphasised their shared commitment to an enhanced partnership in science, education, research and innovation and look forward to the next ministerial Science and Innovation Council (SIC).

They welcomed the signing of the new UK-India MoU on Telecommunications/ICT and the Joint Declaration of Intent on Digital and Technology, the establishment of new high-level dialogues on tech, new joint rapid research investment into Covid19, a new partnership to support zoonotic research, new investment to advance understanding of weather and climate science, and the continuation of the UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI).

They agreed to expand and enhance the existing UK-India vaccines partnership, highlighting the successful collaboration between Oxford University, Astra Zeneca and the Serum Institute of India on an effective Covid19 vaccine that is ‘developed in UK’, ‘Made in India’ and ‘distributed globally’. They emphasized that the international community should learn lessons and agreed to work together to reform and strengthen WHO and the global health security architecture to strengthen pandemic resilience.

Some of the key points to strengthen STI cooperation between two countries are:

1. Enhance cooperation between India and the UK on strengthening the role of women in STEMM at schools, universities, and research institutions and creating an enabling environment for equal participation of women in STEM disciplines through collaboration on new initiatives like Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI) project.

2. Develop collaborations between Industry, Academia and the Government to foster innovation among school students by focusing on teacher training, mentoring and sharing of global best practices through initiatives like the India Innovation Competency Enhancement Program (IICEP).

3. Build on the two countries’ existing bilateral research, science and innovation infrastructure and governmental relationships to continue to support high-quality, high-impact research and innovation through joint processes. Position the UK and India as mutual partners of choice and a force for good in the world in areas of shared priority, including health, the circular economy, climate, clean energy, urban development and engineering healthier environments, waste-to-wealth, manufacturing, cyber physical systems, space and related research.

4. Forge partnership across the pipeline of research and innovation activity, from basic research to applied and interdisciplinary research and through to translation and commercialisation across government departments to optimise impact, utilize expertise and networks and minimise duplication.

5. Leverage and build on existing, long-standing bilateral partnerships such as on education, research and innovation, to stimulate a joint pipeline of talent, excellent researchers and early-career innovators and explore new opportunities for student and researchers exchanges by establishing joint centres and facilitating access to state-of-the-art facilities.

6. Work together to share knowledge and expertise regarding artificial intelligence, scientific support to policies and regulatory aspects including ethics, and promote a dialogue in research and innovation. Through Tech Summits, bring together tech innovators, scientists, entrepreneurs and policy makers to work together on challenges including the norms and governance of future tech under the cross-cutting theme of ‘data’.

7. Grow programmes such as the Fast Track Start-Up Fund to nurture innovation led, sustainable growth and jobs, and tech solutions that benefit both countries. Explore partnerships with joint investment to enable the growth of technology-enabled innovative businesses and increase the number of start-ups and MSMEs growing and scaling-up internationally, for example in relation to climate and the environment, med tech devices, industrial biotech and agriculture, and sustainable development, helping to achieve the Global Goals by 2030.

5-May-2021: Cabinet gives ex-post facto approval to MoU between India and UK on Global Innovation Partnership

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi gives ex-post facto approval to the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of Republic of India and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom on Global Innovation Partnership (GIP).

Objectives: Through this MoU, India and UK agree to launch the Global Innovation Partnership.  GIP will support Indian innovators to scale up their innovations in third countries thereby helping them explore new markets and become self-sustainable. It will also foster the innovative ecosystem in India.  GIP innovations will focus on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) related sectors thereby assisting recipient countries achieve their SDGs.

Through seed funding, grants, investments and technical assistance, the Partnership will support Indian entrepreneurs and innovators to test, scale up and take their innovative development solutions to select developing countries.

The innovations selected under GIP would accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals and benefit the base of the pyramid populations thus promoting equity and inclusivity in recipient countries.

GIP will also develop an open and inclusive e-market place (E-BAAZAR) for cross border innovation transfer and will focus on results based impact assessment thereby promoting transparency and accountability.

5-May-2021: Cabinet approves MoU between India and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Migration and Mobility Partnership

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Migration and Mobility Partnership between the Government of the Republic of India and Her Majesty’s Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland .

Objectives:

The MoU is aimed at Liberalizing issuance of visas promoting mobility of students, researchers and skilled professionals and strengthen cooperation on issues related to irregular migration and human trafficking between the two sides.

The MoU would benefit Indian students, academics, and researchers, migrants for professional and economic reasons and those willing to contribute through various projects to the economic development of both countries without consideration of caste, creed, religion or gender. This MoU can support the innovation ecosystem in both countries by facilitating free flow of talent.

Ministry of External Affairs would closely monitor the effective implementation of the MoU through Joint Working Group mechanism.

4-May-2021: India-UK virtual summit

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and The Rt Hon’ble Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom held a Virtual Summit today.

India and the UK enjoy long standing friendly ties and share a Strategic Partnership underpinned by mutual commitment to democracy, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law, strong complementarities and growing convergences.

An ambitious ‘Roadmap 2030’ was adopted at the Summit to elevate bilateral ties to a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’. The Roadmap will pave the way for a deeper and stronger engagement over the next ten years in the key areas of people to people contacts, trade and economy, defence and security, climate action and health.

The two leaders discussed the Covid19 situation and ongoing cooperation in the fight against the pandemic, including the successful partnership on vaccines. Prime Minister Modi thanked Prime Minister Johnson for the prompt medical assistance provided by the UK in the wake of the severe second wave of Covid19 in India. Prime Minister Johnson appreciated India’s role in extending assistance to the UK and other countries over the last year, including by way of supply of pharmaceuticals and vaccines. 

The two Prime Ministers launched an ‘Enhanced Trade Partnership’ (ETP) to unleash the trade potential between the 5th and 6th largest economies of the world and by setting an ambitious target of more than doubling bilateral trade by 2030. As part of the ETP, India and the UK agreed on a roadmap to negotiate a comprehensive and balanced FTA, including consideration of an Interim Trade Agreement for delivering early gains. The enhanced trade partnership between India and UK will generate several thousands of direct and indirect jobs in both the countries.

The UK is India's second largest partner in research and innovation collaborations. A new India-UK ‘Global Innovation Partnership’ was announced at the Virtual Summit that aims to support the transfer of inclusive Indian innovations to select developing countries, starting with Africa. Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation on new and emerging technologies, including Digital and ICT products, and work on supply chain resilience. They also agreed to strengthen defence and security ties, including in the maritime, counter-terrorism and cyberspace domains.

Both Prime Ministers also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, including cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, and G7. They reiterated commitment to climate action to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and agreed to closely engage in the run up to CoP26 hosted by the UK later this year.

India and the UK launched a comprehensive partnership on migration and mobility that will facilitate greater opportunities for the mobility of students and professionals between the two countries.

The Prime Minister expressed his desire to be able to welcome Prime Minister Johnson in India as per his convenience after the situation stabilizes. Prime Minister Johnson also reiterated his invitation to Prime Minister Modi to visit UK for the G-7 Summit.

28-Apr-2021: Cabinet approves Agreement between the Government of India and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Customs Cooperation and Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters

The Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the signing and ratification of an Agreement between the Government of Republic of India and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Customs Cooperation and Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters.

Impact: The Agreement will help in the availability of relevant information for the prevention and investigation of Customs offences. The Agreement is also expected to facilitate trade and ensure efficient clearance of goods traded between the countries.

Implementation strategy and targets: The Agreement will be signed on behalf of the Governments of the two countries after it is approved by the respective Governments. This Agreement shall enter into force from the first day of the month following signature by duly authorised representative of both parties.

Background: The Agreement would provide a legal framework for sharing of information and intelligence between the Customs authorities of the two countries and help in the proper application of Customs laws, prevention and investigation of Customs offences and the facilitation of legitimate trade. The draft text of the proposed Agreement has been finalized with the concurrence of the two Customs Administrations. The Agreement takes care of Indian Customs' concerns and requirements, particularly in the area of exchange of information on the correctness of the Customs value, tariff classification and origin of the goods traded between the two countries.

8-Feb-2021: Meeting between the Commerce and Industry Minister of India and the Secretary of State for International Trade of the U.K.

The Minister for Commerce and Industry of India Shri Piyush Goyal, and UK Secretary of State for International Trade, Ms. Elizabeth Truss MP, met on Saturday, 6th February 2021, at New Delhi to discuss the India - UK trade and investment relationship. They were joined by the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry from India, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri.

Discussions were carried out on the entire range of bilateral trade and economic relations in a spirit of mutual understanding of each other’s priorities and trade sensitivities. Both Ministers reiterated their commitment to long term India-UK partnership and agreed to deepen trade cooperation between the two countries through an Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP). They also reviewed progress in removing market access barriers on both sides and ongoing cooperation in response to COVID-19.

Development of Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP)

Taking forward their commitment from the 14th JETCO on 24th July 2020, India and UK Trade Ministers reviewed the ongoing engagements between the two sides for an ETP, as part of the development of a roadmap that would lead to a potential comprehensive FTA, including considerations on an Interim Agreement on preferential basis.

In a significant step forward, the Ministers agreed that this partnership would formally be launched during the visit of the UK Prime Minister to India, later this year. To this effect, the Ministers committed themselves to make concrete progress on trade & investment front to deliver quick gains for both countries including joint timelines for further advances.

The Ministers agreed to further accelerate the process towards launch of the ETP, and committed to interact on a regular basis, while identifying quick and concrete bilateral deliverables that could cement the ETP and immediately benefit the people of both countries.

COVID-19 cooperation and Working with business

The Ministers welcomed the deepening of bilateral health cooperation between the two countries, including on vaccines, which is enabling our countries to act as a global force for good during these challenging times. 

The Ministers committed to relaunch the UK-India CEO Forum and agreed on the CEO Forum meeting at the earliest. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to work with businesses to improve the business environment and collectively address the challenges to post-COVID-19 economic recovery.

4-Nov-2020: Cabinet approves MoU between India and United Kingdom on cooperation in the field of Medical Products Regulation

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), India and the United Kingdom Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (UK MHRA) on cooperation in the field of medical Product Regulation.

The MoU will help in establishing a framework for fruitful cooperation and exchange of information between the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) and the United Kingdom Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (UKMHRA) of United Kingdom in matters relating to Medical products regulation in line with their international responsibilities. The main areas of cooperation between the two Regulatory Authorities include the following:

1. Exchange of safety information, including Pharmacovigilance where there is a particular safety concern related to the other party. This includes safety concerns relating to medicines and medical devices.
2. Participation in scientific and practical conferences, symposia, seminars and fora organized by India and the United Kingdom.
3. Exchange of information and cooperation on Good Laboratory Practices (GLP), Good Clinical Practices (GCP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Good Distribution Practices (GDP) and Good Pharmacovigilance Practices (GPvP).
4. Capacity building in mutually agreed areas.
5. Promote an understanding between the Parties of each other’s regulatory framework, requirements and processes; and to facilitate future regulatory strengthening initiatives for both Parties.
6. Exchange of information on laws and regulations regarding medicines and medical devices.
7. Information exchange to support efforts to control unlicensed exports and imports.
8. Coordination at the international fora.

It would facilitate better understanding of the regulatory aspects between the two sides and could help in increased cooperation in the field of medical products regulation and better coordination in international fora.

4-Nov-2020: Cabinet approves signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between India and United Kingdom on cooperation in the field of Telecommunication/ICTs

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Communications of the Republic of India and the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) of United Kingdom Government on cooperation in the field of Telecommunications/Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).

The MoU will contribute in strengthening bilateral cooperation and mutual understanding in the field of Telecommunications/ICTs.  Post-Brexit, the MoU is also aiming for enhanced scope of cooperation and opportunities for India. The Parties have identified the following areas of common interest for cooperation in:-

1. Telecommunications/ICT policy and regulation;
2. Spectrum Management;
3. Telecommunication connectivity including mobile roaming;
4. Telecommunications/ICT technical standardizations and testing & certification;
5. Wireless Communications;
6. Technological development in Telecommunications/ICT including 5G, Internet of Things/Machine to Machine, Cloud Computing, Big Data etc.,;
7. Security of Telecommunication Infrastructure, Security in the provision and use of telecommunication services;
8. Building capacity in high technology areas and exchange of expertise wherever possible;
9. Collaboration and Sharing of information on Research & Development on emerging technologies and innovation where appropriate;
10. Exploring opportunities for joint work in signatory countries and third countries on Telecommunications/ICT;
11. Facilitating Trade, investment and technology activities through Telecommunication/ICT industry delegations and visits, events, exhibitions etc. as mutually agreed; and
12. Other forms of cooperation in Telecommunications/ICT as mutually agreed upon by the Parties, falling with the scope of MoU.

28-Oct-2020: Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman leads Indian delegation in 10th Round of Ministerial UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue

Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman led the Indian Delegation in the 10th Round of Ministerial UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD), held here today in virtually through video conferencing.

The Indian delegation included representatives from Ministry of Finance, Reserve Bank of India and Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). The UK delegation was led by Chancellor of Exchequer, Mr. Rishi Sunak, with representatives from Her Majesty’s Treasury, Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

India and the United Kingdom enjoy close bilateral relations in diverse areas. India-UK economic ties are important as together they are two of the world’s top seven economies with a combined GDP of over $5 trillion. India-UK trade has more than doubled since the first EFD in 2007, with bilateral investment supporting over half a million jobs across both countries

The Dialogue, inter alia, covered sharing of experiences on corona virus response, to enable both countries to be enriched through experiences of the other and collaboration in the G20 on finance track matters, including through G20 Framework Working Group and Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). Issues related to international tax agenda including development of inclusive consensus based solution on the taxation of digital economy was discussed. Deliberations on furthering of Financial Services Collaboration with special emphasis on Fin-Tech and GIFT City, establishment of an annual India-UK Financial Market Dialogue and measures underway to reform financial markets were also discussed. Infrastructure development and promotion of Sustainable Finance were also discussed with a focus on green finance. It was also decided to establish bilateral India- UK Sustainable Finance Forum. Private sector initiatives under India-UK Financial Partnership (IUKFP) and India-UK Sustainable Finance Working Group were welcomed. Hon’ble Finance Minister highlighted that the work being done by India’s National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) and the City of London to ensure flows of sustainable finance.

The Dialogue concluded with the formal signing of the Joint Statement by Finance Minister of India Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman and Chancellor of Exchequer of United Kingdom Mr. Rishi Sunak.

Please click here to access the Joint Statement of the 10th UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue.

28-Jul-2020: UK and India join forces on new £8 million research

Britain and India are deepening their existing scientific research collaboration with five new projects to tackle anti-microbial resistance (AMR) that could lead to important advances in the global fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes.

India is a major producer of antimicrobial in the pharmaceutical industry global supply chain, and the research projects aim to develop a better understanding of how waste from antimicrobial manufacturing could be inadvertently fuelling AMR.

Subject to clearances, the five projects are planned for September 2020. The UK is contributing £4 million from the UK Research and Innovation Fund for International Collaboration, and India is matching this with its own resources (£8 million in total).

Lord (Tariq) Ahmad said:

The UK has already partnered with India’s Serum Institute to manufacture the vaccine for COVID-19, if clinical trials are successful, with plans to distribute to a billion people across the developing world. But there is more we can do together to tackle urgent global health issues in the world. Our thriving research and innovation partnerships will benefit people in the UK and India, and beyond.

Sir Philip Barton, High Commissioner to India, said:

The UK is India’s second biggest research partner, with joint research expected to be worth £400 million by next year. This huge investment enables us to work closely together on global health challenges such as the search for a COVID-19 vaccine. Today’s announcement is another demonstration of our excellent research relationship and will strengthen the important fight against anti-microbial resistance.

During the visit to India, Minister Lord (Tariq) Ahmad will chair a virtual round table with senior Indian and UK-based stakeholders on cold-chain technologies that are critical for the effective transport of vaccines, ensuring they successfully reach their final destination.

Other elements of the Minister’s visit include meeting with Indian Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, Minister Muraleedharan, to discuss a number of subjects including multilateral cooperation, a meeting with Gujarati Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, discussions with regional governments and others on opportunities in wind power and a virtual tour of a UK funded solar plant in Rajasthan.

Further information

UK Research and Innovation and the Government of India Department of Biotechnology are the responsible organisation/department leading on behalf of the UK and India for these AMR projects. Below is some more detail on the research projects:

SELECTAR - This research project involving representatives from UK and Indian universities (University of Birmingham, Aligarh Muslim University, Panjab University, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Indian Institute of Technology, Jamia Millia Islamia University) will investigate the impact of waste release on microbial ecosystems, the extent to which this selects for resistance, and a full determination of all chemical components which can select for resistance and at which concentrations.

Advanced Metagenomics, Sensors and Photocatalysis for Antimicrobial Resistance Elimination (AMSPARE) – this proposal brings together experts on sensor technologies, water treatment and remediation from India (Indian Institute of Technology Bombay) with experts on policy and industrial regulatory, as well as research processes from the UK (University of West Scotland), to research the issue of AMR proliferation in the environment.

Defining the AMR Burden of Antimicrobial Manufacturing Waste in Puducherry and Chennai, Imperial College London: the immediate impacts from this work relate to the advancement of scientific knowledge for addressing antimicrobial resistance in the environment and the development of skills, capacity and capability.

AMR flows: antimicrobials and resistance from manufacturing flows to people: joined up experiments, mathematical modelling and risk analysis involving representatives from Birmingham University, the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad Civil Engineering and Indian Institute Technology Gandhinagar. This project’s goals are to:

• contribute to risk assessment and setting evidence-based environmental standards.
• evaluate the effect of changes in wastewater treatment and effluent release on AMR exposure and recommend changes in practice if these are advisable.

Resolving the fate and studying the impact of pharmaceutical wastes on the environment and local community of a pharmaceutical manufacturing hub. Representatives from the University of Warwick, PGIMER, CSIR-NEERI, Aligarh Muslim University, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and Banaras Hindu University will come together to inform policy-makers, implementers, and industry experts and managers to understand the impacts of inappropriate waste disposal.

Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon is the Minister of State for the Commonwealth, UN and South Asia at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict. Lord Ahmad last visited India in October 2019. Lord Ahmad’s mother was born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan and his father in Gurdaspur, Punjab.

25-Jul-2020: INDIA-UK affirm shared commitment to a Free Trade Agreement and towards that, Early Harvest deals in a staged manner

India and UK held the 14th Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting on 24th July, 2020 virtually. It was co-chaired by Minister for Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal and UK Secretary of State for International Trade , HE , Ms. Elizabeth Truss. They were assisted by Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Shri Hardeep Singh Puri and his counterpart, UK Minister of State for International Trade, HE Mr. Ranil Jayawardena.

Minister Goyal and Ms. Truss affirmed their shared commitment to a Free Trade Agreement and towards that, Early Harvest deals in a staged manner. MOS Puri and Minister Jayawardena will have monthly meetings to intensify the dialogue. It was decided that a meeting led by Minister Goyal and SOS Truss will be held in Autumn 2020 in New Delhi to carry forward the dialogue. The Co-chairs of Business led Joint Working Groups on Life Science and Health, ICT and Food and Drink set up during the last JETCO made their recommendations to the Ministers.

The formal talks were followed by a plenary session led by Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, UK Minister of State for International Trade, Mr. Ranil Jayawardena and UK Minister of State for Investment, Mr. Gerry Grimstone interacting with business leaders which included Shri Chandrajit Banerjee DG CII and Shri Alay Piramal, Co-Chair of the India UK CEOs’ Forum.

Both sides approached the talks with open minds and shared commitment to revival and revitalisation of the long standing trade and economic linkages between India and the UK. Both sides also resolved to cooperate in health Sector especially in view of the present Pandemic of COVID-19.

24-Jul-2019: New scheme to fund UK students to visit India

UUKi and British Council India are delighted to announce the launch of the UKIERI Mobility Programme: Study in India, a bilateral pilot programme which will support UK universities to collaborate with Indian partners to send UK students to India as part of their studies.

The programme will open July 2019 and aims to generate up to 200 opportunities for undergraduate students at UK universities by March 2021, with priority given to students from traditionally under-represented groups. The programme will support national and institutional-level objectives to:

• Increase the levels of outward student mobility from the UK to 13% by 2020, as set out in UUKi’s Go International: Stand Out campaign.
• Support the employability of UK graduates and help them prepare for a globally competitive workforce.
• Support the internationalization of Indian higher education through the diversification of the student body, and the consolidation of inter-institutional partnerships

The programme will be funded by the UK and Indian Governments as part of Phase 3 of the UK-India Education Research Initiative and delivered by the British Council, Universities UK International and EdCIL in India.

10-Jan-2018: Ministry of Road Transport & Highways signs MoU with Transport for London to revamp public transport system in the country

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways signed an MoU with Transport for London in New Delhi. The MoU is aimed at using the expertise of TFL to revamp the public transport architecture in the country. TFL is the agency that manages the transport system for Greater London, and has demonstrated its capability by creating a strong and dependable public transport system in the city.   

The country needs a good transport policy that promotes convenient and comfortable public transport system. An effective public transport system would be one that run on electricity or other less polluting, indigenously produced fuels like methanol, ethanol and bio-diesel. Such a system would not only reduce pollution, but would also be cost effective.

To implement reforms in public transport systems in the country, we have to learn from the best practices across the world. The government has to facilitate the capacity building in public transport with learnings from the experienced and proven public transport agencies like TFL.

TFL has created a unique system of operating buses in PPP model with over 17 operators under a single brand. A salient feature has been their double decker buses which provide for high capacity with low road space requirement. They have also been operating large number of electric and hybrid buses. The common mobility card is another successful product launched by TFL which has made travel easy for the commuters and accounting easier for the operators. As a result of creation of a successful public transport system in London, the city has not seen any increase in number of their private cars.

The proposed MoU will help to revamp the public transport and augment passenger capacity by way of creating a sustainable public transport system. It will help us adopt best practices for policy reforms in the transport sector. It will also enable improved customer services, harness from scientific data analysis and implement effective IT systems in the transport sector. The MoU can see an increase in the use of electric vehicles in public transport and promote digital transaction for ticketing. It can also help us improve major procurement strategies including PPP models for operations, infrastructure maintenance strategies, infrastructure design and delivery, besides promoting behavioral change towards promotion of public transport.

5-Apr-2017: India and the UK announce joint UK-India Fund, namely a Green Growth Equity Fund

India and the UK announced the launch of an Early Market Engagement for the joint UK-India Fund, namely a Green Growth Equity Fund which aims to leverage private sector investment from the City of London to invest in green infrastructure projects in India.

Both governments reaffirmed their commitment to anchor invest up to £120 million each (i.e. totally £ 240 million) in the joint fund which will be established under the NIIF framework. To begin with, the fund aims to raise around £500 million, with the potential to unlock much more in future. This was announced at the bilateral meeting between Shri Arun Jaitley, the Hon’ble  Minister of Finance, Defence and Corporate Affairs, Government of India, and Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Government of UK in Delhi yesterday. The two Finance Ministers announced that initial investments will focus on India’s rapidly growing green energy and renewable market and that a Fund Manager is expected to be selected in the next few months. Progress will be accelerated through early market engagement via the publication of a blueprint, with the aim to identify additional and complementary sectors for fund investments.