The Hindu Editorial Analysis- 2nd August 2024 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Bilateral Ties between Indian and the UK

Political Relations

• India and the UK have deep historical and cultural ties.
• India maintains a high commission in London, along with consulates-general in Birmingham and Edinburgh.
• The UK houses a high commission in New Delhi and deputy high commissions in cities such as Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Kolkata.
• The United Kingdom is home to over 1.5 million people of Indian origin.
• Both countries are members of the World Trade Organization and the Asian Development Bank.
• Three Indian Presidents—Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Ramaswamy Venkataraman, and Pratibha Patil—have visited the UK on official occasions.
• Indian Prime Ministers like Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi have also journeyed to the UK during their tenures.
• Queen Elizabeth II of the UK has conducted state visits to India in November 1963, April 1990, and October 1997.
• Regular exchanges of Prime Ministerial visits have occurred since the inception of the Strategic Partnership in 2004.

Economic Relations

• The economic and trade discussions between India and the UK are guided by formal talks in the India-UK Joint Economic & Trade Committee, Economic and Financial Dialogue, and India-UK Financial Partnership.
• Indian big businesses have made a significant impact on the UK's business scene and economy. In 2019, companies from India in the UK generated more than 48 billion pounds.
• In September 2017, the Indian High Commission in the UK, with support from the UK India Business Council, introduced the Access India Programme. This special program was established to help more small and medium-sized businesses in the UK export to India.

Trade Relations

• The United Kingdom is a significant trading partner of India.
• In 2016-17, the UK was the 15th largest among the top 25 trading partners of India.
• Based on trade statistics from the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, India's trade with the UK in 2017-2018 was valued at US $14.497 billion.
• India exports various products to the UK such as clothing, machinery, petroleum products, textiles, footwear, medicines, and metal products.
• Imports from the UK to India consist of machinery, metals, ores, industrial equipment, beverages, electrical appliances, scientific instruments, and chemicals.

Investment Relations

• The United Kingdom is the fourth largest country investing money into India, following Mauritius, Singapore, and Japan. They have invested a total of US $26.09 billion from April 2000 to June 2018.
• Britain contributes around 7% of all money coming into India from foreign countries.
• Based on information from 2018, India was the third biggest investor in the UK and the second biggest creator of jobs internationally, with Indian businesses making over 110,000 job opportunities in the UK.
• By December 2018, Indian companies in the UK had a combined revenue of £47.5 billion. The technical and telecom sector made up 31% of this revenue, while the pharmaceuticals and chemicals sector accounted for 24%.

Educational Cooperation

• The UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) began in 2005, focusing on higher education, research, schools, and professional and technical skills.
• Other educational ventures between the two nations include the Joint Working Group on Education, Newton-Bhabha Fund, and Scholarship programs, all aimed at maintaining strong ties.
• During the Indian Prime Minister's visit to the UK in November 2015, multiple education-related announcements were made: 
  • 2016 was designated as the UK-India year of Education, Research, and Innovation.
  • Plans were unveiled to establish virtual partnerships at the school level, allowing youth from each country to experience the other's educational system and gain insight into culture, traditions, and social structures.
  • The UK pledged to send 25,000 UK students to India through the Generation UK-India program by 2020, including 1,000 UK interns with Tata Consultancy Services in India by the same year.
  • The third phase of the UK India Education and Research Initiative was launched.
  • The UK also expressed support for the Skills India Mission and committed up to £12 million towards it.

Cultural Cooperation

• In July 2010, India and the UK signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cultural Cooperation.
• The Nehru Centre (TNC), established in 1992 in London, is the cultural outreach of the High Commission of India in the UK. It organises a wide range of cultural events at its premises.
• Indian culture has gradually become mainstream in the UK, with the absorption of Indian cuisine, cinema, languages, religion, philosophy, performing arts, and more.
• To commemorate 70 years of India’s independence, a Midnight Freedom Run was organised in London by the High Commission of India in the midnight hours of August 14-15, 2017.

Defence Relations

• Defence cooperation is another crucial pillar of bilateral cooperation between India and the UK.
• In November 2015, the two countries agreed to elevate their defence relationship by establishing capability partnerships in strategic areas.
• Joint exercises and extensive exchanges between the three services are conducted regularly.