India is first choice office: Brown

BANGALORE: India is now being viewed worldwide as the first choice office, said Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer, UK, while addressing a session on ‘Special Plenary on Globalization’ at the CII Partnership Summit 2007 here today. “India has become a third largest economy in less than three decades registering consistent growth rate of eight per cent per annum,” Brown, who is tipped as the next Prime Minister of Britain, added.

With 50 Indian companies listed in the UK Stock Exchange, and India being the third largest investor in UK, the cooperation between Indian and UK will gather more momentum in coming years. India should look at UK as the first choice to do business, he said.

Talking about globalization and its future trends, Brown said, “Free trade and flexibility, investments in education, health care, investing in new forms of energy is vital to build a foundation in the new emerging world order to ensure the reach of globalization to every individual.”

He called for strengthening the social, political and cultural ties between Indian and UK and for co-operation across borders and multi-lateral networks to reap the benefits of globalization and to ensure the reach of the same to all.

Emphasizing on education he said that education safeguards commitment to freedom and peace, and it provides opportunities to nurture talents and skills and to innovate new ideas. He also called for increasing the education budget in India.

Brown is scheduled to meet Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh and finance minister P Chidambaram tomorrow to launch economic and financial dialogue. He will also be visiting Mumbai on Friday to strengthen the links between UK and India.

With the opening of the Indian economy, Kamal Nath, minister of commerce and Industry , government of India, said that India has become more globally competitive. IT, knowledge, intellectual skills, has unleashed with putting Indian in this road of open economy. Now the greatest challenge is to deliver the benefits of globalization to all with equity and fairness.

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