The Assam government is preparing a comprehensive roadmap to strengthen economic and strategic cooperation with the United Kingdom ahead of the implementation of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on July 15, 2026. The initiative is aimed at leveraging new opportunities in trade, investment, technology and infrastructure development.
Assam Chief Secretary Ravi Kota recently met British Deputy High Commissioner Andrew Fleming to discuss key areas of collaboration. The discussions focused on expanding bilateral engagement in investment promotion, export growth, technological innovation, infrastructure development and skill enhancement, in line with Assam’s rapidly evolving economic landscape.
A major highlight of the meeting was the presentation of the UK PACT-supported Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Need Assessment and Analysis Report for Assam Power Distribution Company Limited. The report provides recommendations to strengthen grid reliability, accelerate renewable energy adoption and support the state’s transition towards cleaner energy sources.
The two sides also deliberated on the proposed Assam-UK Infrastructure Roundtable in Guwahati, which aims to facilitate partnerships in sustainable urban development, transportation, flood resilience and climate-resilient infrastructure. Potential collaboration with UK Export Finance was also discussed.
In addition, both sides explored opportunities under the proposed UK-India Sovereign AI Partnership, focusing on trusted AI infrastructure, sovereign cloud capabilities, advanced computing and governance frameworks to support Assam’s digital transformation.
Officials said the meeting reaffirmed a shared commitment to converting the opportunities created by the India-UK FTA into tangible outcomes through enhanced trade, investment, technology partnerships and institutional cooperation, strengthening Assam’s long-term economic growth and global competitiveness.
