Prime Minister Boris Johnson landed in Ahmedabad and will spend the day there before flying into Delhi late evening. His talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi are slated for Friday. A major focus will be trade and investment as post-Brexit Britain looks to tie up deals with emerging economies. The visiting leader is to announce one billion pounds of new commercial deals in his first trip to India as Prime Minister.
"As I arrive in India today, I see vast possibilities for what our two great nations can achieve together. From next-generation 5G telecoms and AI to new partnerships in health research and renewable energy – the UK and India are leading the world.
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“Our powerhouse partnership is delivering jobs, growth and opportunities for our people, and it will only go from strength to strength in the coming years,” Johnson said before landing in Ahmedabad.
While Gujarat is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state, Gujaratis make up a large proportion of British Indians, many of whom are supporters of Johnson’s party. Traditionally South Asians in the UK have supported the Labour party, but over the years there has been a shift among the well-to-do British Indians to the Conservative fold. The British PM will visit a factory by a British firm in Gujarat. He will also make an appearance in a biotechnology university which is collaborating with the University of Edinburgh.
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Johnson is pegging his India trip to the public as a major commercial venture that will create new job opportunities. According to the British High Commission press statement, has said that 11,000 new jobs in the UK through the new trade and investment deals during the trip. There will also be British investments in India. These are :
· OptiBiotix Health plc signing an exclusive sales agreement with India’s Apollo Hospitals Group
· Health education firms AT&F Solution and OrthOracle UK secure £9.82mn deal to deliver orthopaedic medical training.
· RELX sign a five-year commercial deal to deliver primary health care in 70+ medical centres.
· Scott Bader will invest £23mn to establish a resins manufacturing facility in India, creating 150 jobs in India.
· Medical technology firm Smith and Nephew have signed multiple deals for their robotic surgical system to be used in India.
· Ujala Cygnus secure a £6.9mn deal to train Indian doctors in acute medicine, creating 20 jobs in the UK.
· Cyanconnode announce a £5mn deal to support Smart Meters in India, creating 10 UK jobs.
· UK tech firm What3Words will partner with multiple Indian auto firms to provide accurate satellite navigation.
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· Contactless Payments pioneers McLEAR will launch the first Smart Ring in India in a £10mn deal.
· Wireless infrastructure manufacturer Radio Design will establish a new manufacturing centre in India.
· Carbon Masters agree a joint venture to implement a waste management project in Bengaluru that will reduce carbon emissions.
· Joint UK-Indian venture Pandrol Rahee will set up a state of the art manufacturing centre in West Bengal.
· Deliveroo will set up its largest technology hub outside of the UK in Hyderabad, India.
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· Arup secure a £1mn deal to accelerate India’s railway station redevelopment programme.
· UK FinTech firm Revolut announce its expansion into India.
