Maharashtra and UK Sign MoU on Ease of Doing Business

Mumbai, Jan 12: Maharashtra and UK Business Ministers witness memorandum between UK India Business Council and Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation at formal opening of UKIBC Office in Mumbai

British Minister for Trade and Investment Lord Livingston today celebrated the opening of Mumbai's new UK India Business Centre at Bandra Kurla Complex with the Maharashtra Minister for Industries, Mr Subhash Desai. The two Ministers jointly unveiled a plaque commemorating the launch of the Centre and welcomed the strong and growing industrial and commercial partnership between the two countries.

In the spirit of the Indian government's ‘Make in India' campaign, the Ministers also witnessed the signature of a new agreement between the UK-India Business Council (UKIBC) and the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) offering UK support and expertise as Mumbai works to contribute to an improvement in India's ranking in the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index.

Mr Desai said, "We are trying to realign Prime Minister Modi's Make in India programme with Make in Maharashtra by re-analysing all business procedures and trying to drastically reduce the number of approvals needed to start business in Maharashtra. I am sure the MoU we signed today with UKIBC will help us improve the ease of doing business in Maharashtra."

Lord Livingston said, "The economic relationship between the UK and India is strong and well-established. We are the largest major investor in India, and India invests more in the UK than in the rest of the EU combined."

"Indian companies make a fantastic contribution in the UK, and British businesses are involved in excellent projects in India. Both countries are keen to pursue new opportunities to develop deeper business ties both in the UK and in India, and I welcome this agreement as another example of collaboration between the UK and India to strengthen our partnership."

Mr Bhushan Gagrani, CEO, MIDC said "The Industry department in Maharashtra is not only revamping the business procedures but also working with other government departments to make sure there is a single line of command and faster clearances. We are also in, the process to fix responsibility for things to be delivered and reduce the number of days required to start business."

Mr Richard Heald CEO of UKIBC said, "We are delighted to be partnering with Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) on this MoU. This is an important initiative towards making India a more thriving and competitive economy and a significant step in this direction will contribute considerably in making it easier for the foreign businesses to invest in India specially in Mumbai. It is a unique time in the history of two nations to collaborate and enhance competitiveness by bringing leaders from different spheres together to make a positive and lasting impact towards improving ease of doing business together and to make a positive and lasting impact. We are indeed very pleased to be able to contribute to this significantly. "

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