Day Three of the ongoing UK-India Week 2022, organised by the UK-headquartered India Global Forum (IGF), was geared towards The Forum: Reimagine@75 – a two-day power-packed series of discussions and deliberations around the central theme of Reimagine@75.
The strategic dialogue series is designed to cover virtually every sphere of UK-India relations – from the Startup Ecosystem, Geopolitics, Digital Economy and Investments to Social Impact. To coincide with UK-India Week, the UK government announced 75 fully funded scholarships for Indian students to study in the UK from September as part of a partnership between the British government and leading Indian and global companies, including HSBC, Pearson India, Hindustan Unilever, Tata Sons and Duolingo.
Alex Ellis, the British High Commissioner to India, said: “In India’s 75th year, this is a great milestone together.
“Thanks to the exceptional support from our partners in industry, I am delighted to announce 75 scholarships for Indian students to experience the best of the UK. Nearly 30% of Chevening scholars in India come from smaller cities or are first generation students, making this an increasingly diverse programme.”
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The programmes on offer include Chevening scholarships for a one-year Master’s programme, with the opportunity to study any subject at any recognised UK university. The British Council in India is offering at least 18 scholarships for women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) – covering over 12,000 courses across more than 150 UK universities. Along with these, the British Council is also offering six English scholarships.
The IGF’s first of a two-day Reimagine@75 Forum kicked off with a conversation on India’s start-up ecosystem and how greater synergies can be built with the UK in the sector. The in-depth discussion threw up a host of ideas and concepts to fully leverage the rich startup opportunities on offer.
Prashant Prakash, Partner, Accel, said: “It’s a dramatic shift in India. We are on track, as a country, to do a billion transactions a day in 2-3 years. This is starting from zero. That’s an amazing journey.
“There’s still a lot of work to be done to build generationally resilient companies in India. The current financial environment will help towards some real company building.”
Sharing his thoughts during a conversation with Sir Malcolm Rifkind, Former UK Foreign Secretary, Ashok Malik, Policy Advisor, Indian Ministry of External Affairs, said: “The Free Trade Agreement we are negotiating with the UK will help us address some of the global crises we face.
“The UK has the expertise and India has the scale – there’s a lot we can achieve together with collaboration.”
Besides, the Forum saw renowned captains of industry address the audience on various facets of UK-India relations, the use of Digital for Social and Economic Impact and the idea of investing in India and exporting from India. A fascinating in-conversation session involving Bhavish Aggarwal, Co-Founder & CEO, OLA, was among some of the other highlights. The Forum concluded with a stimulating debate on the Idea of Great Britain with the inimitable Indian parliamentarian and author Dr Shashi Tharoor, Baroness Usha Prashar, V&A Museum Director Dr Tristram Hunt and Lord Jonathan Marland, Chairman, Commonwealth Enterprise & Investment Council.
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Prof. Manoj Ladwa, Founder and CEO of IGF, said: “Reimagine@75 provides the best possible platform to rethink, away from the blurred lens of history, the crucial future relations between our two great nations.
“IGF continues to spearhead the UK-India dialogue and as we navigate deeply challenging geopolitical scenarios and economic headwinds, a strong UK-India relationship is imperative not just for the UK and India but for the global order.”
An exclusive UK-India Women in Leadership event preceded the forum celebrate the myriad contributions of women leaders within the UK-India corridor. It brought together some of the most prominent voices working towards strengthening this winning partnership, including Tech Entrepreneur & Angel Investor Priyanka Gill, Founder & CEO of tech impact forum Maanch Darshita Gillies, Taj London Area Director Mehrnavaz Avari, Co-Founder of cultural platform Manch UK Meera Kaushik, among a host of other women leaders working across different sectors.
