Asia and Oceania

India
Last reviewed: 14 October 2009

Country information

See entire profile

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Relations with the UK

Bilateral relations have steadily strengthened over the last 2 or 3 years and are now at their healthiest for a very long time (if not ever). This is reflected in a number of areas, including closeness on current international issues; bilateral trade (£7.9 billion in 2005); increased education links, and increasing of UK development assistance over the next two years (to £300 million).

The UK-India Round Table was launched by Robin Cook and Jaswant Singh, the then Indian Foreign Minister, during the former's visit to India in April 2000. The Round Table brings together senior UK and Indian opinion-formers to work up practical suggestions for enhancing bilateral activity and cooperation on global issues. The eleventh meeting of the Round Table took place on 3 May 2008 in Shimla, India.

The 'New Delhi Declaration', formally endorsed by the 2 Prime Ministers in January 2002, provides the new road-map for bilateral activity. The Declaration commits the UK and India to continuing to work closely in 4 areas:

Peace and Security: terrorism, peacekeeping, defence cooperation, non-proliferation; Afghanistan
Development: working together to meet Millennium Development Goals including halving the proportion of people in poverty by 2015; UK development assistance to increase to £300 million by 2007/8; working together on climate change and in the run-up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development
Education and Science and Technology: the declaration noted the contribution of 1.3 million strong community of Indian origin in Britain, an increase in Chevening scholarships to £2 million, and the British Council's new Knowledge and Learning Centre in Delhi (which allows people to get UK qualifications online)
Trade and Investment: The UK is India's largest trading partner in Europe and one of the largest in the world; more than 440 Indian firms have now set up operations in the UK, of which 75% are from the Information and Communications Technology; the UK and India are committed to working together on WTO issues.

Recent Visits

Edward Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change visited India 1-2 September 2009
Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State, Department for International Development visited India 1-2 September 2009
Lord Mandelson, Secretary of State for Business visited India from 19-23 January 2009
David Milliband, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs visited India from 12-15 January 2009
Gordon Brown, Prime Minister visited India on 14 December 2008
Lord Malloch-Brown, Minister of State, FCO visited India 17 October 2008

People to People Links

The Indian community overall in the UK now numbers 1.3 million and is the most prosperous of the major ethnic communities in the country. They are influential, innovative and successful in business, politics and the arts: a major part of the UK's economy and culture.

Entry Clearance

Entry Clearance: Over 336,000 visas were issued in 2008. This is more than twice the amount of any other country. Over 500,000 Indians visit the UK each year. Student numbers continue to rise. The number of IT professionals seeking entry or placement in the UK also remains high.

UK Development Assistance

There has been growth and progress in India over the last 20 years, but nearly 400 million people live on less than a $1 a day many without access to basic services. Globally, the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) will be won or lost in India. The income poverty MDG is likely to be met, but other MDGs are off-track, including key targets in health and education.

The challenge is to address persistent and widespread poverty, including the needs of the poorest and marginalised, in a way that takes account of India's growing global role and aspirations. DFID India has nationwide programmes through the central government, and programmes in 4 of the poorest states (Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal). DFID is scaling-up resources for off-track MDGs, including health and education, and working to increase its impact in poorly performing states. DFID will spend £825 million during the period 2008/9 to 2010/11. DFID India has 130 staff on 5 sites.

Department for International Development (DFID)

Cultural Relations with the UK

The British Council’s India operation is one of its largest in the world, with offices in the 4 metro cities and British Libraries in 7 other cities, the latter managed in co-operation with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. The Council's main activities involve offering library services to 112,000 private and 4,000 corporate members, marketing UK education, administering 80,000 UK examinations per year, and running a varied programme of projects in governance and human rights, science and technology, the arts and English language teaching and teacher training. In recent years, the British Council has also introduced an on-line service to reach a wider audience of young Indians.

British Council: India