UK seeks stronger infrastructure ties with India

New Delhi

During a meeting with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, London Mayor Alastair King expressed the UK’s strong interest in deepening its role in infrastructure financing in India. The meeting took place during Sitharaman’s official visit to the United Kingdom.

Mayor King referred to the ongoing partnership through the UK-India Infrastructure Financing Bridge and suggested enhancing this collaboration further. He praised India’s development vision for Viksit Bharat 2047 and said India offers major opportunities for investment and growth, especially in infrastructure.

Finance Minister Sitharaman briefed the Mayor on key Indian initiatives such as the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) and the PM Gati Shakti plan. These projects aim to improve connectivity and drive economic progress across the country.

The Finance Minister also invited the Mayor to visit India with a team of leading UK financial institutions. This visit would focus on exploring new investment opportunities through pension funds, insurance firms, and other financial partners linked to India’s National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) and GIFT City.

Sitharaman arrived in the UK on April 7 for an official visit, which will continue through April 13. She is scheduled to meet ministers and financial leaders in both the UK and Austria, attend roundtables, and hold talks with global investors. Both sides hope these talks will lead to stronger economic and investment ties.