New Delhi [India], November 20 (ANI): UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific Seema Malhotra began her first official visit to India on Thursday to advance the recently signed UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the British High Commission said.
The deal is projected to boost the UK’s GDP by 4.8 billion pounds annually, increase wages by 2.2 billion pounds, and expand bilateral trade by 25.5 billion pounds.
The three-day visit underscores the revitalized 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 FTA is helping them grow and bring investment back to the UK, according to the High Commission.
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 one-year pause. These scholarships provide full funding — currently worth at least £40,000 — for one-year master’s degrees at leading UK universities, covering tuition, living expenses, travel, and health insurance. Ten scholarships, valued at a total of 400,000 pounds, will be reserved for South Asia, with applications for the 2026–27 academic year opening in January.
Malhotra will hold bilateral meetings with Karnataka State Industries Minister M.B. Patil and Karnataka Higher Education Minister M.C. Sudhakar to discuss advanced manufacturing, research collaboration, and skills development. She will also meet Tamil Nadu’s Minister for Industries, Investment Promotion and Commerce, T.R.B. Rajaa, to explore opportunities in advanced manufacturing, green technologies, innovation-driven investments, and workforce development.
A key focus of the visit will be strengthening joint UK-India efforts to raise awareness of 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 regions and the introduction of a Tamil-language WhatsApp chatbot to help people identify scams and avoid fraudulent agents.
Malhotra will also review ongoing UK-India initiatives to protect families from exploitation and curb illegal migration, as both countries expand coordinated efforts to combat visa-related fraud.
The revitalized partnership aims to unlock new opportunities for bilateral trade and investment, deepen defence cooperation, and support the next generation of global talent.
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