Bengaluru defines India-UK ties in tech, investment, says envoy Chandru Iyer

Speaking with DH’s R Krishnakumar, British Deputy High Commissioner to Karnataka and Kerala, Chandru Iyer, also cites numbers to highlight “really strong” immigration ties between the two countries amid reports about tighter visa controls.

As India and the UK enter an important phase of their relationship with technology at its centre, there is new thrust coming from Bengaluru. Home to premier scientific institutions and an ecosystem that nurtures innovation across disciplines, the city could emerge as key to the new Technology Security Initiative (TSI), an ambitious bilateral collaboration in priority tech sectors, says Chandru Iyer, British Deputy High Commissioner to Karnataka and Kerala. Speaking with DH’s R Krishnakumar, Iyer also cites numbers to highlight “really strong” immigration ties between the two countries amid reports about tighter visa controls.

Excerpts from the interview: 

Keir Starmer has spoken about the UK building new strategic ties with India. What is your sense of the direction this relationship is taking?

The new government is clear on where this relationship is headed. The UK understands the Indian Government’s concept of Viksit Bharat and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for 2047. Now, we are also looking at how these ties can evolve over this timeline. It is in this direction that we launched TSI, which will be run by the National Security Advisors of the two countries. The priority areas under the initiative are telecoms, critical minerals, semiconductors, AI, quantum, biotechnology and health tech, and advanced materials.

What are the projections you are looking at in terms of trade and investment involving the two countries?

There is a steady stream of Indian interest in the UK, with technology, EV mobility, healthcare, and pharma among the key drivers. At the London Tech Week this June, we took a delegation of more than 200 Indian tech companies. Regarding the presence of companies from the UK in India, the major financial services players are here; fintech is also doing very well. The total trade in goods and services between the two countries till March 2024 was £39.7 billion (up 4% from last year). We are keen to expand it to £100 billion soon.

Bengaluru has institutions that do important work in some of the priority TSI areas. How integral is the city to the initiative?

Bengaluru almost defines this relationship. Many tech businesses from here have done wonderfully well in the UK; many British tech companies have also set up units here. Beyond the availability of skills, Bengaluru is also a research and development hotbed. This substantiates our understanding that with TSI, Bengaluru will be at the forefront in areas including quantum, critical minerals, and future telecom.

How do you respond to reports on the UK tightening immigration regulations?

Contrary to what is being projected, the visa and immigration relationship between India and the UK is really strong. For the year ending June 2024, the UK has given out over 530,000 visit visas to Indian nationals, which is almost 25% of the total visas UK issues worldwide. Indian students received over 110,000 visas (25% of all UK-sponsored study visas). The UK continues to be a geography of choice for Indian students. These visas apart, there is the Young Professionals Scheme visa, under which 3,000 visas are being allocated in a year. India is a large country, and the expectations are high. We are switched on to that fact, but the numbers speak for themselves. While visitors, students, and business visitors are welcome, we also need to be mindful about regulations on long-term immigration. This is a visa regime that is reasonable and responsible.

Are anti-migrant narratives emerging from some quarters of the UK feeding a climate of distrust?

The UK has condemned those incidents, and the law is taking its course. We need to understand that these are isolated incidents that, at times, are projected as representative of an entire country. It is also important to note that there is a wider story about the Indian diaspora’s immense contribution to the UK in diverse domains—from business to trade and investment to healthcare to politics.

How have initiatives like ‘High Commissioner for a Day’ evolved as outreach efforts?

We have been doing it since 2017, predominantly to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child. Indian women who are aged between 18 and 23 years can participate in the competition to win an opportunity to be a diplomat for a day. There is also the Chevening Scholarship, which is in its 40th year; India alone has an alumni base of 3,800 Chevening scholars. The scholarship helps students from economically disadvantaged sections to study in the UK. We are exploring the possibilities of opening joint Chevening programmes with state governments. They are working in Jharkhand and Uttarakhand; we are talking to governments in Karnataka
and Kerala.