Bengaluru: Rt Hon Lord Francis Maude of Horsham, the British Government’s Minister of State for Trade and Investment, visited Bengaluru on September 8, 2015.

The visit comes at a time when UK remains the top G20 investor in India. The centre piece of the visit will be the India-UK Business Convention in Delhi, a gathering of major British and Indian CEOs including some of the top investors in India.

Lord Maude will focus on deepening these commercial ties between the two countries and will highlight how the UK’s unique offer to India compliments Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aspirations for India.

He said, “The UK and India have well-established commercial ties and my visit aims to take this to a new level of strength and cooperation. Our Government is committed to an enhanced partnership with India. I will be meeting the Indian Government and business leaders to discuss how we can support Prime Minister Modi’s aspirations for India’s economy’.  

Demonstrating the UK’s commitment to PM Modi’s “Make in India” initiative, Lord Maude joined the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in laying the foundation stone of a new GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) factory at Vemgal, Hosakote (near Bengalaru). GSK is investing £100m in this new pharmaceutical plant.

At a foundation-laying ceremony in Bengaluru on Tuesday, Lord Maude, said: “With India’s commitment to building best-in-class manufacturing infrastructure, I cannot think of a better location for what will be GSK’s most advanced manufacturing site to date.”

“This new GSK facility is a first step in creating a whole new eco-system for pharmaceuticals in Bangalore which will help attract further investments, jobs and opportunities,” he added.
The minister said the UK was one of pioneering countries to respond to PM Modi’s ‘Make in India’ by launching ‘GREAT Collaborations’ in January 2015.

“The UK Government recognises India’s importance in Pharma manufacture and is working with the Indian Ministry of Health to build UK-India partnerships in this sector”, he added.

The campaign showcases and promotes collaborations of mutual benefit to India and the UK across a range of sectors, and encourages partnerships to enable UK and Indian companies to succeed in new markets, win new business and create wealth.