MP Chief Minister on UK visit to boost Smart Cities partnership

London, Sep 27: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is in Britain to promote the Global Investor Summit being held in Indore next month and to explore partnerships with the UK on smart cities and skills.

The Chief Minister met Britain's Secretary of State for International Development, Priti Patel. The two had met in Bhopal last month when Patel visited India.

The UK is India's partner country for the Global Investor Summit, which is the highest-profile biennial event for the state of Madhya Pradesh, and the forthcoming TECH Summit, said a UK High Commission statement on Tuesday.

The Chief Minister is leading a delegation of government officials from the commerce, industry, investment and employment departments.

Chouhan will meet Rajesh Agarwal, Deputy Mayor of London for business. The two leaders will attend an event for the Madhya Pradesh diaspora community in London.

After the meeting, Priti Patel said: "The UK has a long and special relationship with Madhya Pradesh. It is a relationship based on solid foundations and a shared history that has a bright future as our partnership moves forward."

The UK is India's country partner in developing three smart cities, which includes Indore in Madhya Pradesh.

Chouhan is meeting British businesses to learn more about their expertise in developing smart cities and will explore opportunities for British investors in the state's smart city programme. He will also lead a smart city roundtable and make a site visit to the Thames to observe how London uses technology to deal with waste water.

IANS

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