“We also expect ‘Make in India’ to be a key sector of bilateral engagement. Advanced manufacturing is a special endeavor under this programme. The UK as a leading player can benefit from our liberal FDI policies in defence manufacturing, aerospace and electronics engineering,” the Prime Minister said.
He said India’s vast traditional knowledge base can be coupled with UK’s modern scientific investigation to provide a holistic approach to preventive healthcare. “This can help address some of the modern lifestyle diseases that we face.”
The Prime Minister said even though the quantum of bilateral trade has remained at the same level for the past five years, investments in both directions have been robust.
India, he said, is the third largest investor in the UK, and Britain is the largest G20 investor in India. Both countries support large numbers of jobs in each other’s economies.
Modi said the ‘Smart City’ mission aims to integrate digital technology into rapidly urbanising environment and there is already a high level of interest from the UK in projects in Pune, Amaravati and Indore. “I understand that UK companies have already signed deals worth 9 billion pounds and I encourage more participation,” the Prime Minister said.
The ‘Start-up India’ programme aims at converging innovation and technology with entrepreneurship for tech-savvy youth. “Today, India and the UK have emerged amongst the top three largest startup hubs in the world with an exciting ecosystem of investors and innovators,” he said.
Stating that the India-UK Tech Summit focuses on higher education, he said it is vital for Indian students and will define the bilateral engagement in a shared future.
(Sourced from agencies, feature image courtesy:economictimes.indiatimes.com)
