UK-India to build closer trade, innovation partnership, during minister's visit to TN, Gujarat

NEW DELHI: British Minister of State, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad who is on a three-day visit to India from Monday is scheduled to launch two new UK-funded sustainability projects at the ongoing Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meet (TNGIM). Ahmad is also slated to visit Ahmedabad and attend Vibrant Gujarat, an innovation-focused summit, the British High Commission said in a statement.

Lord (Tariq) Ahmad is the Minister of State for the Middle East, South Asia, UN and the Prime Minister's Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict. While in Chennai, the Minister will launch a heat mitigation project alongside Tamil Nadu's State Planning Commission.

The project will provide recommendations to the government of Tamil Nadu to address extreme heat-related deaths and the loss of vital ecosystems, the British High Commission statement said. Also, with the Tamil Nadu Department of Environment and Climate Change, the minister will launch an Electronic and Battery Waste Management project, which will develop a plan to reduce battery waste, it said.

As 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 statement added.

The British minister said, "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. "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.

At the flagship investment summit TNGIM in Chennai, Lord Ahmad will deliver a keynote speech on the success of innovative UK-India projects in climate and energy, the statement said. He will continue to showcase the sustainable success of British businesses overseas at a great reception and will see first-hand how British businesses are supporting clean growth in India. At the Biennial Investors' Summit in Vibrant Gujarat, the Minister will celebrate the 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 an MoU between the UK's Abertay University and India's Ecole Intuit Lab. The partnership agreement will see teaching, research and innovation expertise shared between the two organisations, the release said.