Sanjeev Singh Bariana and Hamir Singh
Chandigarh, May 27
The number of Indian students in the UK has tripled during the last three years. At least one lakh student visas were issued to Indian students this year and a large number of them are Punjabis. India has almost overtaken China in terms of the number of students studying in the UK.
In an exclusive interview to The Tribune and Punjabi Tribune, British High Commissioner Alex Ellis said, “Students are the biggest link in our core area of knowledge. Knowledge sharing will lead to cooperation in research, investment, tourism and other areas. We would like to encourage our relations in the field of education as much as possible. This is very important for the stability of a healthy relationship.”
He gave a detailed roadmap on the programs of possible cooperation between the two countries in agriculture, information technology (IT), food processing, higher education, sports, public transport (electric bus) and biomass sectors.
He said, ‘Britain and Punjab have a very old relationship. In all, there are about six lakh people of Punjabi origin in the UK. For example, both the grandfathers of our Finance Minister (Rishi Sunak) are from Punjab. We need to look ahead.”
Some students would choose to settle abroad or pursue a career in the UK after completing their education. What can students think about their future in the UK?
One of the reasons for the huge increase in the number of students, especially Indians, was that we have reopened the work norms that allow them to work for two years after completing their course of study . This is to facilitate their efforts in repaying their education loans. But it shouldn’t be just about settling there. It should be about greater mobility of people between the two countries.
Many investors from India who studied in UK are going back there to invest.
One of the important things I discussed with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday was how to track people back to Punjab. And that’s what will connect education to our business investing story. We are currently underperforming on investments between the UK and Punjab. With better student connections, I think we should think more about investments between Punjab and the UK.
Can we talk about areas where we can collaborate?
Keeping in mind the humanitarian relationship between Punjab and the UK, we must do better in our alliance. We are looking to provide new innovations in technology in the field of agriculture especially in technology for sustainable agriculture. Our technology on waste energy was best suited for the needs of Punjab.
An example of a mutual benefit in working together is the COVID-19 vaccine. It had a huge impact in India and the world. It has been developed by UK-based company AstraZeneca and manufactured by Serum Institute in India. This is a model that we would like to replicate in Punjab, especially in the area of sustainable agriculture.
Can we expect some more areas in the industry where there can be tie-ups between countries?
We want to attract more British companies to come here. We have made some significant British investment in electric vehicles in India, including buses (electric green buses). India is going to make its bus fleet more sustainable and we have the manufacturing capability for sustainable results.
With our electric buses, Punjab stands to achieve big in its public transport. Our technology can complement the hard working and resilient Punjabis to tap the potential of different regions. There is scope for improvement in our thriving agricultural state adding our advanced technology, especially our state-of-the-art food processing technology.
What was the main idea of your meeting with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann?
First, on the business investment side, we would like to bring here an agro-technology mission to look at the possibilities for great agricultural companies.
Second, we have a bunch of the biggest British universities coming to India in two weeks. We will see if we can connect them with some good universities in Punjab. We are now looking for an international expansion in education and India is a very clear country to do so, especially Punjab.
I want to explore the possibilities of closer relationships in the field of sports. Punjab has a strong sporting tradition. This year we have the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in late July and early August. I spoke to the Chief Minister about bringing Punjabis there as well. I can say that we can do a lot. The opportunity to miss is too good.
Are there any differences between the two that need to be resolved for a smooth dialogue with Punjab for a future alliance?
My job is to enhance and support the positivity of the Prime Ministers of both countries, who have given us a clear vision of what we want to achieve from this relationship. With the huge flow of people, we would like to see if we can get a direct flight between Punjab and UK for easy flow of people.
With good comes bad. There are people coming to the UK or there are some British citizens here who do some bad things. We need to make sure we have good law enforcement cooperation to prevent abuse of migration rules. This has been done partially but needs to be done through the state also.
The UK issues about one lakh student visas to Indian nationals and 40 per cent of our skilled work visas go to Indian nationals. We need to ensure that visas are not misused, otherwise we will have to close these routes.
Is illegal migration a big concern?
it is. We are working with Indian authorities on this issue. It is mostly people who are spending more time on their visas. Sometimes, it can be people who are trying to come to the UK as students but are unlikely to study. We have a good system in place to deal with this. We are in high demand for UK visas at the moment, so we have to be careful. We have to get the balance right because you want to help with all the good things that come with an increased migration.
The Ukraine-Russia conflict reflects a changed world order. What are your thoughts?
I completely agree with you that the global landscape is changing. the world is changing. When I joined the diplomatic services in the 1990s, the Soviet Union was collapsing, the Berlin Wall had fallen. It was a time of great optimism. The era is now dead. We are in a difficult world.
I am an optimist but there is no doubt that the competition is high. Both India and the UK want greater national flexibility. Flexibility has also increased between the two countries. This is the reason why India and Britain are coming together as we look forward to the 21st century.
I mentioned the tie-up for the Covishield vaccine. There are other areas where we are collaborating.
Things will brighten up between the two countries by Diwali this year with the Free Trade Agreement expected to be signed.
Our Defense Cooperation Agreement will reduce procedural wrangling and ensure speedy delivery time. The Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement clearly outlines how the two countries will benefit from the enhanced arrangement on migration issues.