London, UK: The United Kingdom’s Minister for the Indo-Pacific, Seema Malhotra, began her first official tour of India on November 20, aiming to reinforce bilateral ties after the UK and India signed their Free Trade Agreement (FTA) earlier this year.
Malhotra started her visit in Bengaluru and continued to Chennai on November 21. The focus of this tour is to push forward cooperation outlined in the FTA, which the UK estimates will add 25.5 billion (approximately USD 32.5 billion) in trade between the two countries.
While in Chennai, Malhotra took part in an event celebrating the agreement. In a post on X, she highlighted its significance, stating that the UK-India FTA is a landmark deal that will support job creation and generate new opportunities in both nations.
During her engagements, she welcomed the launch of Lloyd’s List Intelligence’s Global Capability Centre in Chennai, calling it a key collaboration that will enhance maritime intelligence capabilities and create high-skill tech roles.
She also announced a new academic collaboration between IIT Madras and the University of Surrey, designed to offer semiconductor research training to students from the UK.
In addition, Malhotra expanded the UK’s visa-fraud awareness initiative to Tamil Nadu. The campaign, already active in Punjab, warns families against fake migration agents and promotes secure, legal mobility channels.
Her Chennai programme followed a series of meetings in Bengaluru, where she inaugurated Tesco’s new office and interacted with top leaders from BT, Pearson, Revolut, Marks & Spencer and Equiniti to explore business prospects emerging from the FTA.
Malhotra further confirmed that the British Council will relaunch its Women in STEM Scholarships for South Asia. Ten fully funded master’s scholarships, valued at 400,000 (around USD 500,000), will be available for the 2026–27 academic year.
According to UK government estimates, the FTA is expected to boost Britain’s annual GDP by 4.8 billion (about USD 6.1 billion) and raise wages by 2.2 billion (roughly USD 2.8 billion). Her discussions with industry leaders centred on how the agreement is influencing investments, research collaborations and supply-chain development.
Earlier in the trip, Malhotra met Karnataka’s Industries Minister M. B. Patil and Higher Education Minister Dr. M. C. Sudhakar to explore opportunities in advanced manufacturing and research partnerships.
