Garhwal Post Bureau
Haridwar, 30 Jul: The Deputy High Commissioner of the United Kingdom, Alba Smeriglio, held a meeting in Haridwar on Tuesday with members of the FICCI Ladies Organisation (FICCI FLO) Uttarakhand Chapter and representatives of iSAT Network Engineers Pvt Ltd, to explore avenues for stronger bilateral trade and business cooperation between India and the United Kingdom.
The meeting focused on three key areas: unlocking cross-trade benefits for companies under the recently concluded UK-India Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA); expanding opportunities for women-led and women-centric businesses; and enabling greater participation of Indian micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the UK market.
Participants discussed how CETA’s reduced tariffs and simplified market-access provisions could benefit companies based in Uttarakhand, with a particular emphasis on sectors where local enterprises already have export experience. Representatives of FICCI FLO Uttarakhand highlighted ongoing efforts to support women entrepreneurs in the state and discussed ways in which UK trade and mentorship networks could help scale women-led ventures.
iSAT Network Engineers Pvt Ltd shared its perspective as a technology enterprise on the practical steps required for Indian MSMEs to establish a presence in the UK, including compliance, certification and partnership requirements. The Deputy High Commissioner reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to working with regional trade bodies and businesses to ensure that the benefits of CETA reach companies beyond India’s major metropolitan hubs.
The Deputy High Commissioner stated, “There is a significant potential in Uttarakhand MSME to go Global. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between our two nations is not simply another diplomatic milestone — it is, by most estimates, expected to substantially expand bilateral trade in the years ahead, unlock new investment flows, and open tariff lines that have, for years, made it difficult for smaller Indian businesses to compete in the UK market.”
The UK Ambassador was accompanied by her Political Advisor, Rajendra Nagarkoti, Senior Inward Investment advisor, Rajeev Balamurugan, Department of Business and Trade, British High Commission, New Delhi.
FICCI FLO Uttarakhand Chapter was represented by Tripti Behl, Chairperson; Maneet Suri, Treasurer; Smriti Batta, Vice Chair; Mamta Rawat, Jt Secretary; Shilpi Arora, Founding Chairperson; Minakshi Soti, Senior Vice Chair; Komal Batra – Past Chairperson and Shreya Agarwal.
The meeting was hosted by iSAT; a prominent manufacturer of Power equipment established in Haridwar.
The meeting forms part of a broader series of engagements by the British Deputy High Commission with regional trade bodies and industry associations across India, aimed at deepening commercial ties following the signing of CETA.
