Assam Chief Secretary Ravi Kota met with British Deputy High Commissioner Andrew Fleming on Wednesday to discuss a strategic roadmap for boosting cooperation between Assam and the UK, particularly in light of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) set to come into force on July 15, 2026. Key areas of discussion included investment promotion, export growth, technology integration, infrastructure development, and skills enhancement. Kota expressed his delight at meeting Fleming, alongside Haimanti Poddar, Senior Climate and Energy Adviser and Sustainable Mobility Policy Lead (India) for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The meeting aimed to leverage Assam’s rapidly evolving economic ecosystem to strengthen cooperation across various sectors.
The delegation also presented the UK PACT-supported Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Need Assessment and Analysis Report for Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL), which provides recommendations for strengthening grid reliability, accelerating renewable energy integration, and supporting Assam’s clean energy transition. Kota highlighted the proposed Assam-UK Infrastructure Roundtable in Guwahati, which will facilitate partnerships in sustainable urbanization, transport, flood resilience, climate-resilient infrastructure, and project delivery, including potential engagement with UK Export Finance (UKEF). The discussions also explored opportunities under the proposed UK-India Sovereign AI Partnership, including trusted AI infrastructure, sovereign cloud capabilities, advanced computing, and AI governance frameworks to support Assam’s digital transformation agenda.
Fleming described the meeting as a timely discussion, given the upcoming implementation of the UK-India FTA. He noted that the meeting covered opportunities in various sectors and sub-sectors, including infrastructure, agriculture-tech, AI, skilling, sports, MSMEs, climate, and energy. Kota reaffirmed the shared commitment to translating the opportunities emerging from the India-UK FTA into tangible outcomes through enhanced trade, investment, technology partnerships, and institutional cooperation, supporting Assam’s long-term growth and global competitiveness.
