NEW DELHI: All roads lead to Gujarat this week as Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarks on a three-day visit to his home state to host visiting dignitaries. They include Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
On Tuesday, World Health Organisation (WHO) Director General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus will join PM Modi in Jamnagar for laying the foundation stone of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM).
GCTM is slated to be the first and only global outpost centre for traditional medicines across the world. The Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnauth, who is currently on a week-long trip to India, will also be attending this ceremony.
Dr Ghebreyesus will also accompany PM Modi for the Global AYUSH Investment and Innovation Summit, in Gandhinagar, on the 20th, which is expected to give a boost to research, development and collaborations in the wellness industry.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will begin his India visit by first landing in Ahmedabad on the 21st. This will be the first ever visit of a British PM to Gujarat.
"This week I will be travelling to India to deepen the long-term partnerships between our countries. India, as a major economic power and the world’s largest democracy, is a highly valued strategic partner for the UK in these uncertain times," PM Johnson said ahead of his visit.
PM Johnson is expected to meet industrialist Gautam Adani in Ahmedabad. He is likely to visit the Sabarmati Ashram and also visit JCB’s new manufacturing plant near Vadodara. JCB is a strong supporter of Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party. The foundation stone of JCB’s Gujarat plant (the sixth in India) was laid in March 2019 by its Chairman Lord Bamford.
Gujarat is also the ancestral home to half of the British Indian population in the UK, estimated to be around 600,000.
While in Gujarat, Johnson is expected to announce major investments in key industries in both UK and India, boosting jobs and growth at home, as well as new collaboration on cutting-edge science, health and technology.
His visit is likely to give an impetus to the Free Trade Agreement negotiations, between India and UK, which were launched earlier this year. A deal with India is expected to boost India-UK trade by up to £28 billion annually by 2035 and increase wages across the UK by up to £3 billion.