Britain is looking to focus on energy, financial services and ease of doing business in Andhra Pradesh, British Deputy High Commissioner Andrew Fleming said.
Speaking to The Hindu here on Thursday, Dr. Fleming said that Britain has been collaborating with Andhra Pradesh for a long time, and this year, is looking to pay special focus on these three areas.
Expressing happiness at the likelihood of Visakhapatnam becoming the Executive capital of the State, Dr. Fleming said that the city has the potential to transform into a major city but challenges such as water availability and traffic management should be overcome. “A long-term plan to address the challenges associated with the influx of people as well as a plan for the expansion of the city should be in place,” the Deputy High Commissioner said.
“I am happy that Visakhapatnam is one among the smart cities. UK has many collaborative areas in the smart city project and we are eager for more engagements,” he said.
“We would like to work on areas of waste management and water management for the future in this city,” he added.
Last year, the British High Commission focussed on trafficking of tribal girls from Visakhapatnam Agency and empowerment of Dalits in the Godavari districts.
Dr. Fleming, who visited AP MedTech Zone, said he was impressed by the facilities offered there. “The zone has the potential to become a major drug testing centre. We have plans to collaborate for the upcoming Nutrify India Summit, which will be held some time in June this year,” he said.
He also appreciated the State Government’s move to make English medium of instruction mandatory in government schools. “In the last three years, the collaboration between India and Britain in the education sector has risen to almost 97% under various heads and this move by the State Government is a welcome sign for more collaborative efforts. The British Council is already engaging in a dialogue with the State Government for a collaborative project under this initiative,” said Dr. Fleming.
Research projects
According to him, the British High Commission has funded an amount of 10 million pounds in various research projects at universities and institutions of higher education in A.P. and Telangana. Across India, the funding has touched 320 million pounds during the last 11 years. “Collaborative research is another area where we intend to focus upon,” he said.
