UK Minister Seema Malhotra on first India visit, to take forward Free Trade Agreement

New Delhi [India], November 20 (ANI): UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific Seema Malhotra started her first official visit to India on Thursday, to take forward the recently signed UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA), according to the British High Commission.

The deal is projected to boost the UK's GDP by (UK currency) 4.8 billion pounds annually, raise wages by 2.2 billion pounds and expand bilateral trade by 25.5 billion pounds.

The three-day visit reflects the revitalised UK-India partnership under the joint UK-India Vision 2035.

During her trip, Malhotra will meet British businesses operating in Chennai and Bengaluru -- including Tesco, Revolut and BT -- to hear how the UK-India FTA is helping them grow and bring investment back to the UK, the British High Commission stated.

Malhotra said: "As a UK Minister of Indian descent, I am delighted to be visiting India so early since my appointment as UK Minister for Indo-Pacific. It is a reflection of the importance of India to the UK, and a testament to a transformative year in UK-India relations."

"Our joint UK-India Vision 2035 has the landmark free trade agreement at its core. During my visit, I will see the impact of our revitalised partnership: creating thousands of jobs, driving innovation, and delivering investment in both our countries," she added.

In Bengaluru, the Minister will confirm that the British Council's Women in STEM Scholarship programme will return to South Asia and India after a gap of one year, British High Commission noted.

These scholarships provide full funding--currently worth at least £40,000--for one-year master's degrees at leading UK universities, covering tuition, living costs, travel, and health insurance. This year, 10 scholarships will be reserved for South Asia, worth 400,000 pounds, with applications for the 2026-27 academic year opening in January.

The Minister will hold bilateral meetings with Karnataka State Industries Minister, MB Patil, and Karnataka Higher Education Minister, MC Sudhakar, to discuss advanced manufacturing, research and skills collaboration. She will meet Tamil Nadu's Minister for Industries, Investment Promotion and Commerce, TRB. Rajaa, to discuss opportunities in advanced manufacturing, green technologies, innovation-driven investments, and skill development for future-ready industries.

A key focus of the trip will be expanding joint UK-India efforts to raise awareness about visa fraud.

In Chennai, the Minister is expected to launch the second phase of the UK's anti-visa fraud campaign in Tamil Nadu, following a successful pilot in Punjab. The campaign will include targeted outreach in high-risk areas and the introduction of a Tamil-language WhatsApp chatbot to help people identify scams and avoid fraudulent agents.

The Minister will also see how joint UK and India efforts are raising awareness of visa fraud in hotspot regions, helping to protect families from exploitation and reduce the number of illegal entrants into the UK.

In Chennai, she is expected to expand the UK's campaign to tackle visa fraud in India to Tamil Nadu. The campaign will aim to reduce the number of people travelling to Britain on fake visas, with the UK and India cooperating to protect people from scams and tackle illegal migration at its source.

The new campaign follows a successful pilot already underway in the Punjab region in northern India. It will include targeted outreach in high-risk areas, plus a Tamil-language WhatsApp chatbot to help Indian nationals identify visa scams and avoid fraudulent agents.

The revitalised partnership will unlock new opportunities for bilateral trade and investment to thrive, strengthen our defence cooperation to keep our people safe, and nurture the next generation of global talent. (ANI)

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