Mayor of
London to visit India for closer ties and partners in Globalization
London, Nov. 14, 2007
Lachman Brar
Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London and a delegation of London
'ambassadors' are visiting India from 18th-23rd November 2007
to promote closer ties between the capital and India in business,
tourism, education and the creative industries. A delegation include
Lord Sebastian Coe and Paul Deighton, Chairman and Chief Executive
of London 2012 Organizing Committee; Peter Hendy, Commissioner
for Transport for London; Michael Charlton, Chief Executive of
Think London; James Bidwell, Chief Executive of Visit London;
and Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London.
The Mayor Ken Livingstone said:
- India is a rising economic superpower. It has a growth rate
of over nine per cent a year, 1.2 billion people and it already
accounts for the second highest number of inward investment
projects into London after the US.
- Last year, India was one of the three countries accounting
for the majority of world economic growth.
- The Indian community is already the largest minority ethnic
community in London and London’s strength as the most
globalised city is helped immensely by its Indian community
- there are already 10,000 Indian-owned businesses in the capital.
Cultural interaction between India and London is already strong
and is going to increase even further.
- India already has the second largest number of foreign direct
investment projects to London after the US. In 2005/06 India
accounted for 18 per cent of all foreign direct investment project
- In 2006, 230,000 Indians came to London up from 166,000 in
2005. For the first time in 2006 Indian visitors spent more
than those from Japan (£152 million by Indian visitors
compared to £134 million by those from Japan).
- Over the past three years, Think London assisted over 50
Indian companies to set up in London, this included companies
like WIPRO, ICICI Bank and Punjab National Bank. Twenty seven
companies incorporated in India are listed on the London Stock
Exchange (LSE) with a collective market value of UK£4.4
billion.
- In London the number of students from India has increased
from 2,190 in 2001 to 4,320 in 2005 making the growth of Indian
students second only to the Chinese.
Bollywood entertainment, Indian film industry shot nearly 40
movies in London and spends more than $28 million annually to
London's economy.
The Mayor’s strategy to promote London as a pre-eminent
global business centre. He will take part in a series of meetings,
seminars and conferences in India.
His trip will involve visits to Delhi and Mumbai and includes:
- Signing a city to city partnership agreement with the Chief
Minister of Delhi. Signing a tourism agreement in Delhi.
- Opening two offices - The London India Office - Delhi and
The London India Office - Mumbai, to promote business, trade,
culture and tourism between London and India.
- Meetings with key Indian businesses including Tata, ICICI
Bank, BCCI and the CII.
- Signing a film agreement between Film London and the Film
and Television Guild of India.
- Hosting education seminars exploring stem cell research
The chairman of the Organising Committee of the Commonwealth
Games 2010, Mr. Suresh Kalmadi; president, Indian Olympic Association,
and Tejendra Khanna, the lieutenant governor of Delhi, will also
speak at the seminar in New Delhi
He will also be visiting Amritsar to meet the Chief Minister
of the Punjab.
