UK exports to India up by 45% in 2011: British envoy.

There has been a 45 per cent increase in the exports of United Kingdom to India in 2011. Pune has a striking synergy with the United Kingdoms (UK) when it comes to small and medium enterprises, biotechnology industry, information technology, high-end manufacturers and the creative industry and we are excited about the prospects from this city, said James Bevan CMG, British High Commissioner to India who was in the city on Tuesday to visit a few institutes and industries.

When asked if the recent upheaval was going to affect the trade relations between the two countries, he said, “There are problems that the country has been facing in the short-term, however, the Indian economy will continue to grow in the long term. Apart from trade, both the countries are also doing well in research and development (RnD). India has world class science and innovation and RnD and its makes sense to put the work of the two countries together.”

While the UK immigration laws have been tightened, Bevan said that there was a 2 per cent increase in the number of Indian students going to the UK. “We want the brightest students from India to come and study with us. The collaborations between the educational institutions of the two countries will continue to grow,” he said.

Terming the murder of Pune student Anuj Bidve as tragic, Bevan said, “We did everything that we could to help the family. We will work very hard to ensure that there is justice. UK has been a safe place for students and we want to encourage more students to come there. It was a shocking and unusual incident and it is unlikely to be repeated again.”

Source : indianexpress.com