During a lecture as part of the Union External Affairs Ministry’s “India@75: Videsh Niti Distinguished Lecture Series,” former Indian ambassador Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha emphasised the strong contribution of the approximately 1.8 million Indians living in the UK to the country’s economy.
According to Sinha, six percent of the UK’s GDP, or between two and three percent of the Indian diaspora, is attributed to the Indian community living there.
The lecture, hosted by the Department of Political Science at MS University in collaboration with the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Policy Research and International Studies, focused on “India-UK Relations in the Contemporary Context: Opportunities and Challenges.” Sinha also addressed the historical ties between India and the UK that date back 400 years to Jehangir’s rule and the G20 partnerships in various sectors, including technology and education.
Since India recently became the fifth-largest economy, surpassing the UK, Sinha noted that India is now a “system maker” rather than a “system taker.” He also spoke about the underwhelming economic relations between the two countries, with the UK not even appearing in the top 15 of India’s trading partners and India only holding the 12th position in the UK’s list of trading partners.
However, Sinha emphasised the significance of India’s position as the second largest investor in the UK last year, after the USA, creating 1.2 lakh jobs in the process. He also highlighted the popularity of the UK as an education destination, citing the receded post-study work visa policy and the increase of Indian students to 80,000 in 2018 as examples.
Also Read: Gujarat: Indian Coast Guard Celebrates 47th Anniversary
