Modi invites UK to be part of 'Make in India'

NEW YORK: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United Kingdom (UK) in November, India invited UK to be a part of its Make in India initiative. The initiative is one of the major flagship programmes of the Modi government. UK is the largest investor in India among the European countries and bilateral trade between the two countries is valued at USD 25 billion. India is pitching for greater investments from Britain as London is the world’s leading financial centre.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron met Mr Modi on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on September 28 and the two sides reviewed the bilateral cooperation. One of the most important issues discussed was climate change and the upcoming Conference of Parties-21 (COP-21) conference in Paris in December for the world to agree on a climate deal.

India is expected to declare its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDCs) on October 2, a day after the deadline. It has sought permission to declare it on that day as it coincides with Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, said MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup. UK appreciated India’s decision to declare INDCs.

The two countries also discussed cooperation on intelligence, terrorism and cyber security apart from regional issues. Mr Cameron specially emphasised that UK looks forward to Mr Modi’s visit in November. He also joked that the spectacular event in which Mr Modi would address the Indian diaspora at Wembley was a rare occasion. He said very few world leaders can fill crowds in such a huge stadium. Mr Modi’s visit will be the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the UK in more than a decade. The last one was by Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2001. UK is home to a 1.5 million-strong Indian population.

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