29 - 30 November 2007
Rt. Hon. Hilary Benn
British Environment Minister

The Rt. Hon. Hilary Benn, arrived in New Delhi to hold talks with the Indian Government to take forward the climate change agenda ahead of the crucial UN Climate Change Conference in Bali in December. 

25 November - 1 December 2007
Ieuan Wyn Jones
Deputy First Minister of the Welsh Assembly Government and Minister for the Economy and Transport

Ieuan Wyn Jones lead a delegation of Welsh companies looking for partnership and trade opportunities in India. During the visit, the minister met Indian businessmen and explored mutually beneficial trading and investment opportunities. He also addressed the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The minister was accompanied by representatives from Calon, the largest animation company in Wales, and Green Bay Media – which has just completed a documentary on the Ganges as part of a series on the world’s six major rivers. 

18 - 24 November 2007
Ken Livingstone
Mayor of London

The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone and a delegation of London ambassadors visited India to promote closer ties between London and India. The Mayor commenced his week-long trip from New Delhi. The Mayor also visited Mumbai, where he took part in a series of meetings, seminars and conferences on the theme of 'London and India: Partners in Globalisation'. The Mayor also visited Amritsar and met the Chief Minister of the Punjab. The high level delegation included Lord Sebastian Coe and Paul Deighton, Chairman and Chief Executive of London 2012 Organising Committee; Peter Hendy, Commissioner for Transport for London; Michael Charlton, Chief Executive of Think London; James Bidwell, Chief Executive of Visit London; Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London and Mary Reilly, Chairperson London Development Agency.

20 - 23 November 2007
Sir David King
Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK government

Sir David King travelled to New Delhi and Kolkata during his visit to India from 20 –23 November 2007. While in New Delhi, Sir David King met with the key players in government, academia and industry to build positively on the UK-India bilateral relationship in science & innovation. He delivered the 12th Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Medal lecture, launched the dissemination event for the DEMOS report in India and delivered the keynote speech at a UK-India climate change event and held discussions on UK-India Education Research Initiative (UKIERI). He was accompanied by Professor Alan Thorpe, RCUK, Chief Executive of Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). 

15 - 16 October 2007
Lord Mark Malloch-Brown
Foreign Office Minister responsible for South Asia

It was his first official visit to the region since becoming Foreign Office Minister responsible for South Asia. He met with Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon. Discussions focused on the strength of the UK-India bilateral relationship, support for India's aspirations for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, and regional issues, including Nepal and Burma.

24 - 28 September 2007
Digby, Lord Jones of Birmingham
Minister of State for Trade and Investment

During his visit Lord Digby Jones travelled to Delhi, Chandigarh, Pune and Mumbai. In Delhi, Lord Jones met with Minister of State for Law & Justice, and the Secretary at the Ministry of Finance. He also met leading Indian and British businessmen. In Chandigarh he met with the Chief Ministers of Northern states. In Pune, he met Indian and British businessmen. In Mumbai, Lord Jones delivered the keynote speech from the UK side at a high-level business conference: 'India & UK - Partners in Globalisation'. Eminent panellists including Mr Ratan Tata and Lord Karan Bilimoria lead the discussions. Lord Jones also presented the prestigious UK Trade & Investment India Business Awards for 2007 Thursday September 27. 

20 - 25 May 2007
John Stuttard
The Lord Mayor of the City of London

The Lord Mayor of the City of London John Stuttard, visited New Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai. He represents the UK-based financial services, and was here to explore how the City of London can work with the Government of India to develop an international financial centre in Mumbai. He was accompanied by a delegation of 40 senior business people from the UK. The Lord Mayor’s week-long schedule included meetings with the Minister of Finance, Commerce & Industry, the Mayor of Kolkata and the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. In New Delhi, the Lord Mayor addressed a seminar - ‘Partners in Action - How London’s global financial experience can be relevant to India’. In Mumbai, he inaugurated City of London’s office.

15 - 19 May 2007
Dr Kim Howells MP
British Foreign Office Minister of State

Dr Kim Howells visited New Delhi, Kolkata, and Guwahati. He was here to further the UK-India bilateral ties. This was Dr Howells' third visit to India in last six-months. He met government officials, representatives of local communities and visited projects funded by the British government. In Kolkata Dr Howells inaugurated the new Diversity & Lifestyle Zone at the British Council and the British Information Centre in Guwahati. In Delhi he called on Senior Officials and Ministers from the Ministry of External Affairs.

27 April-4 May 2007
The Rt Hon Baroness Ashton
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department for Constitutional Affairs

Baroness Ashton visited New Delhi, Chandigarh, Bangalore and Chennai. Baroness Ashton met ministers and officials from the Ministries of Commerce, Finance, Law and Justice, Overseas Indian Affairs, and Women and Child Development. She also met the Chief Justice of India, the Attorney General and members of the Bar Council of India. In Chandigarh, Baroness Ashton attended a roundtable meeting with Punjab and Haryana State Bar Council Officials. In Bangalore, she visited the National Law School. She delivered a speech on 'The Role of Law in a Globalised World' in Chennai.

9-12 April 2007
Pat McFadden
E-Government Minister

The British E-Government Minister was in India for talks with Indian Government Ministers and major Indian IT and software firms. He met with Ms. Meira Kumar, Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment; Prithviraj Chavan, Minister of State in the Prime Minister Office; Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and NASSCOM in Delhi. He also visited National Institute of Smart Government (NISG) and Centre for Good Governance (CGG) in Hyderabad. Mr McFadden is also the Minister for Social exclusion and his trip included a visit to the Salam Baalak Trust Project.

26-30 March 2007
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal Princess Anne

The Princess Royal was the chief guest of the Queen's Birthday Party (QBP) held in New Delhi this year. She attended and participated in a number of Commonwealth Study Conference (CSC) workshops and study groups. The Princess Royal also attended events hosted by Save the Children, President of India A P J Abdul Kalam and Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit. She also visited the Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST).

21-24 January 2007
The Rt Hon David Miliband MP
Environment Minister

British Environment Minister David Miliband embarked on a four-day visit to India for talks on climate change and sustainable development. Mr Miliband delivered a keynote speech at the inaugural session of the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit in New Delhi. He held bilateral talks with the Indian Environment Minister, Mr A Raja. During his visit he also attended the Wildscreen Festival, met with Indian business leaders and promoted the joint Indo-UK research into climate change impacts and adaptation, which entered its second phase. He also visited Mumbai to attend a roundtable on 'Environmental Issues and Challenges facing Mumbai'. 

17-19 January 2007
The Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP
Chancellor of the Exchequer

Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer travelled to Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai. In Bangalore, Mr Brown delivered the Keynote Address at the CII Partnership Summit’s Plenary Session. He also visited Wipro’s Electronic City Campus. In New Delhi, Mr Brown called on Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Congress Party President Mrs Sonia Gandhi. With Indian Finance Minister Mr P Chidambaram he discussed and launched the Indo-British Economic & Financial Dialogue. Mr Brown announced and gave away the first awards under the UK-India Education Research Initiative. In Mumbai, Mr Brown met with leading businessmen, visited Yash Raj Studios, the Bandra-Worli Sea Link Construction site and Magic Bus.

15-17 January 2007
The Rt. Hon. Alistair Darling MP
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry

The British Secretary of State for Trade and Industry visited Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. His visit focussed on increasing bilateral trade, the next steps on world trade and taking forward the energy and climate change agenda. Alistair Darling was accompanied by 150-member strong trade delegation. In Mumbai, Mr Darling met with Indian business leaders and Maharashtra Chief Minister Shri Vilas Rao Deshmukh. In Delhi, Mr Darling launched the television series 'Future Living: 2020'. He also met with Shri Kamal Nath, Indian Minister for Commerce and Industry, Power Minister Shri Sushil Kumar Shinde and Finance Minister Shri P Chidambaram. He led the British delegation in the India-UK Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) talks. In Bangalore, with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt Hon Gordon Brown, he attended the CII Summit and visited some of India's leading companies. 

8-13 January 2007
Lord Martin Rees
President of the Royal Society of London

Lord Martin Rees visited New Delhi and Bangalore. Lord Rees is a specialist on high energy astrophysics and cosmic structure formation. In New Delhi, he met with the President of India, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He also delivered the Blackett Memorial Lecture - 2007 on 'Our Final Century: Will Civilization Survive the 21st Century'. In Bangalore, Lord Rees delivered the Rajiv Gandhi Public Science Lecture on '21st Century Science: Cosmic Perspectives and Terrestrial Challenges'.