- UK's Minister of State, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, will visit Chennai in Tamil Nadu and Ahmedabad in Gujarat on a three-day visit to India.
- Attending the Tamil Nadu Global Investor's Meet (TNGIM), he will announce two new UK-funded sustainability projects.
- He will also attend Vibrant Gujarat, an innovation-focused summit.
Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, Minister of State for the Middle East, South Asia, UN and the Prime Minister's Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict arrives in India today (Monday 8 January) where he will launch two new UK-funded sustainability projects.
Whilst 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.
With the Tamil Nadu Department of Environment and Climate Change, he will also launch an Electronic and Battery Waste Management project, which will develop a plan to reduce battery waste.
The Minister will meet with national and local government representatives and talks will be wide ranging, from clean energy to human rights. He will also discuss progress towards an ambitious trade deal, for which there is strong political will on both sides.
As the states of 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.
Lord Ahmad Minister of State for the Middle East, South Asia, UN, and the Prime Minister's Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence 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.
Attending the TNGIM in Chennai, a flagship investment summit, Lord Ahmad will deliver a keynote speech on the success of innovative UK-India projects in climate and energy.
He will continue to showcase the sustainable success of British businesses overseas at a GREAT reception and will see first-hand how British business is supporting clean growth in India.
At the Biennial Investors' Summit, Vibrant Gujarat, the Minister will celebrate the close ties between the UK and India through business, culture, and our 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 École Intuit Lab. The partnership agreement will see teaching, research and innovation expertise shared between the two organisations.
Strengthening the UK-India relationship is a key pillar of the UK's long-term foreign policy, as part of its enduring engagement in the Indo-Pacific set out in the Integrated Review Refresh.
