British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressed his support for more skilled visas for Indians as part of the efforts to expedite the ambitious free trade agreement (FTA) being negotiated between the two countries.
Speaking to reporters from the UK on the prime ministerial flight to Ahmedabad on Wednesday night, Johnson acknowledged a massive shortage of experts in IT and programming sectors and said Britain needed "hundreds of thousands" of workers with in-demand skills.
Here are the live updates of Boris Johnson's India visit:
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday said he would be raising Russia's invasion of Ukraine in his talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he arrived in India touting job-creating investment but facing long odds to get his reluctant counterpart to back Western action against Moscow. Read here
Tearing through memes, wisecracks and criticism, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is on a two-day India visit, on Thursday visited a factory of the British heavy equipment maker JCB at Gujarat's Halol industrial area near Vadodara.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressed his support for more skilled visas for Indians as part of the efforts to expedite the ambitious free trade agreement (FTA) being negotiated between the two countries.
Honoured to host @BorisJohnson, the first UK PM to visit Gujarat, at Adani HQ. Delighted to support climate & sustainability agenda with focus on renewables, green H2 & new energy. Will also work with UK companies to co-create defence & aerospace technologies. #AtmanirbharBharat pic.twitter.com/IzoRpIV6ns
- Gautam Adani (@gautam_adani) April 21, 2022
- UK PM Boris Johnson will announce a slew of commercial agreements.
- He will hold talks focussing on India-UK trade, investment and technology ties.
- UK and Indian businesses will confirm over a billion pounds in new investments and export deals, said British High Commission.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce a slew of commercial agreements and hold bilateral discussions with a focus on the UK and India's trade, investment and technology partnership. Read here.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who landed in Ahmedabad on Thursday, visited the Sabarmati Ashram. Johnson, who is on a two-day India visit,was accorded a grand welcome at the airport in Ahmedabad. Read here.
Boris Johnson's message in Sabarmati Ashram visitors' book: "It is an immense privilege to come to the Ashram of this extraordinary man, and to understand how he mobilised such simple principles of truth and non-violence to change the world for the better."
#WATCH | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson visits Sabarmati Ashram, tries his hands on 'charkha' pic.twitter.com/6RTCpyce3k
- ANI (@ANI) April 21, 2022
Speaking on the plane on his way to India, Boris Johnson signalled he was ready to be more accommodating on an issue that could have stalled the talks. "I have always been in favour of talented people coming to this country," Mr Johnson told reporters. "We are short to the tune of hundreds of thousands of people in our economy and we need to have a progressive approach and we will."
Boris Johnson indicated he was ready to offer more visas to India in return for this year clinching a free-trade deal that could boost annual bilateral trade by billions of pounds, news agency Reuters reported.
Boris Johnson will visit Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad later. He is also likely to meet with businessman Gautam Adani. Then the British Prime Minister will fly to Vadodara, where he will visit a plant of the heavy machine firm JCB. From there, he will go to Gandhinagar's Gujarat International Finance Tec-City or GIFT City. He will go to Delhi in the evening.
- Ahead of Boris Johnson's visit, the UK had said it would not look to "lecture" India over its neutral stance in the UN on the Ukraine war or India's decision to increase Russian oil imports. The UK, however, has been trying to persuade India to reduce its reliance on Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
- His visit is likely to give a fresh push to the proposed free-trade agreement between India and the UK, boost cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and enhance defence ties.
- A major focus of Mr Johnson's talks with PM Modi would be on the situation in the Indo-Pacific as the UK is strongly opposed to any kind of coercion in the region.
The UK is ready to help in realising PM Modi's vision of making India a hub for defence manufacturing and that the country was ready for the transfer of technologies for joint production of military hardware, news agency PTI reported.
Boris Johnson will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow. A major focus of Mr Johnson's talks with PM Modi will be on the situation in the Indo-Pacific as the UK is strongly opposed to any kind of coercion in the region.