UK trade minister to begin visit from Nov 23

New Delhi, Nov 22: UK Trade Minister Ian McCartney will begin his five-day India visit tomorrow at Kolkata where he will call on Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation from key companies like SERCO, British Gas and Halcrow.

After Kolkata he will be in Delhi from November 25 to 27 where he would attend the India Economic Summit. He will also call on Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit, Commerce Minister Kamal Nath and Petroleum Minister Murli Deora.

''I am delighted to be visiting India for the first time, close on the heels of both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary,'' Mr McCartney said.

The bilateral trade in goods and services for 2005 totals 7.9 billion pounds, an increase of over 20 per cent from 2004.

UNI