UK Indo-Pacific Minister Seema Malhotra Begins First India Visit

New Delhi: British minister for the Indo-Pacific, Seema Malhotra, began her visit to India on Thursday, her first since taking office, and is expected to advance the implementation of the recently signed landmark Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries. She will visit Bengaluru and Chennai during the trip.“The visit by UK minister Seema Malhotra will build on the momentum from the UK-India trade deal, with meetings scheduled with British businesses operating successfully in Chennai and Bengaluru. In Bengaluru, the minister will confirm the return of the British Council’s Women in STEM Scholarship programme to South Asia, offering 10 new scholarships worth £400,000,” the British High Commission (BHC) said. The minister is also expected to launch a second visa fraud awareness campaign in Tamil Nadu, where she will review ongoing joint UK–India efforts to protect Indian families from exploitation. The recently signed bilateral FTA is “projected to boost UK GDP by £4.8 billion annually, raise wages by £2.2 billion, and increase bilateral trade by £25.5 billion,” the BHC noted. Malhotra will also build on the outcomes of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s recent trade mission to India by meeting with British companies thriving in Chennai and Bengaluru, including Tesco, Revolut and BT, to understand how the FTA is supporting their expansion and investment plans.