Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

The people of the Indian diaspora strengthen our economy, culture and society: Angela Rayner, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party

Bridge India's inaugural Ideas for India conference brought together 500+ stakeholders from across India and the world.

The people of the Indian diaspora strengthen our economy, culture and society: Angela Rayner, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party

The inaugural edition of the Ideas for India conference ended on Friday after three days of rich discussion on public policy. The three-day event on 18-20 May was held to celebrate India’s 75th anniversary of Independence, with speakers providing their vision for where they see India in the coming 25 years.

Day 1 featured an education delegation to Birmingham, hosted by Birmingham City University. Day 2 featured a Policy Forum on closer UK-India relations, the Commonwealth Education Conference and an Awards evening in Parliament. Day 3 featured the main plenary sessions, including discussions on India’s leadership in addressing climate change, tackling misinformation, unemployment, skill development, women’s participation in the workforce and building India’s institutions.


The event marked a culmination of three years of thought leadership from Bridge India, a progressive non-profit think tank dedicated to discourse on public policy. Registered as a charity in June 2019, it has engaged in high-level conversations with Ministers, CEOs and Ambassadors from more than a dozen countries, including those as diverse as India, Afghanistan, Israel, Uganda and Mauritius. In doing so, it is the leading Indian diaspora-led think tank in Europe.

The ‘India Story’ abroad is often presented through a narrow lens, be it focusing only on business and the economy, society or policy landscape. Given its diversity, everything about India, and its polar opposite, is true in unison. The Ideas for India conference sought to highlight and celebrate this nuance, to help India-watchers understand India better.

It saw participation from more than 500 attendees over the three days, including 50 international delegates from India, Bangladesh, Malta, Singapore and the USA. In a true celebration of the breadth of India, MPs, Members of Legislative Assembly and other policymakers from seven political parties, across nine states in India attended the event.

The inaugural edition was an incredible success, with even the Indian Minister of External Affairs for India S Jaishankar tweeting a video clip of the event. Sessions from Ideas for India featured on prime time TV news in India and several stories ranked in the top ten trending stories of the day. 

LEAD 1 Lord Tariq Ahmad Lord Tariq Ahmad

Lord Tariq Ahmad, Minister of State at the FCDO, said: “I’m grateful to the team at Bridge India for organising this important conference. It provides an excellent opportunity to celebrate the deep friendship between our two countries, and also look to the future. It is this trusted partnership that extends to trade as well. We’ve already got a strong track history on this. Just look at Reliance Industries’ recent investment into the UK battery industry.”

Angela Rayner, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, said: “It was an honour to speak at the Bridge India  conference. I first visited India many years ago and discovered such an incredible, diverse country. The people of the Indian diaspora strengthen our economy, culture and society – but are also at the heart of our communities.”

Rahul Gandhi, Member of Parliament from Kerala, was the keynote speaker during Day 3. He said: “Democracy in India is a global public good. We’re the only people who have managed democracy at our unparalleled scale. [I] had an enriching exchange on a wide range of topics at the Ideas For India conference in London.” 

JOHN D MCHUGHAFP via Getty Images Lord John Browne (Photo: John D McHugh/AFP via Getty Images)

Lord John Browne, Chairman of BeyondNetZero, was the keynote speaker at the dinner celebrating 75 years of India’s independence. On the evening theme of sustainability and climate change, he referenced a seminal speech he gave at Stanford University exactly 25 years ago where he talked about how oil companies needed to look towards technologies to promote climate action.

Ashwin Kumaraswamy, trustee, said: “India’s national identity has been built on unity in diversity, and it has long celebrated the commonality of major differences amongst its people. It offers many truths, each of which give shape and substance to the idea of India. We’re proud that in our inaugural conference we were able to engage stakeholders from policy, technology, business, academia and civil society across three days. We were able to showcase an India conversation that was progressive, inclusive and diverse in the ideas it discussed.”

Other notable participants included Dr Ashwath Narayan (Minister for Higher Education, IT, BT, Skill Development and Livelihood, Karnataka), Tejashwi Yadav (Leader, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Bihar), Sitaram Yechury (General Secretary, CPI-M), Salman Khurshid (former Minister for External Affairs, India), Mahua Moitra (Member of Parliament, West Bengal) and Pradyot Manika (Chairman, TIPRA, Tripura).

More For You

Voices of Faith - Day 2: A profound confluence of spirituality, music, and dialogue

Barnaby Rogerson in conversation with Anthony Sattin (L) on day 2 of Voices of Faith

Voices of Faith - Day 2: A profound confluence of spirituality, music, and dialogue

Mahesh Liloriya

The second day of Voices of Faith unfolded with an enchanting blend of music, philosophy, and intellectual exploration at the Barbican Centre, London. This inaugural festival, curated by Teamwork Arts—the force behind the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) and JLF London—has been made possible by the Kamini and Vindi Banga Family Trust, with the support of Tech Mahindra. Eastern Eye and Garavi Gujarat serve as the official media partners, amplifying the festival’s reach and resonance.

Session 1- Echoes of eternity: The timeless notes of Kabir

Keep ReadingShow less
starmer-immigration

Speaking at the Organised Immigration Crime Summit, Starmer said the government is working to restore order to the immigration system.

UK returns 24,000 illegal migrants since July, highest in eight years

THE UK government has returned over 24,000 individuals with no legal right to remain in the country since July, marking the highest rate of removals in eight years, prime minister Keir Starmer said on Monday.

Speaking at the Organised Immigration Crime Summit, Starmer said the government is working to restore order to the immigration system.

Keep ReadingShow less
'Aga Khan dedicated his life to service, peace, and pluralism'

Baroness Patricia Scotland speaks at an Iftar dinner held at the Ismaili Centre in London (Photo: The Ismaili National Council for the United Kingdom)

'Aga Khan dedicated his life to service, peace, and pluralism'

THE outgoing head of the Commonwealth has paid tribute to the late Prince Karim Aga Khan, describing him as a visionary leader whose lifelong dedication to service, peace, and pluralism has left a lasting impact on the world.

Speaking at an Iftar dinner held at the Ismaili Centre in London last Wednesday (26), Baroness Patricia Scotland, who steps down as Commonwealth secretary general on 1 April, reflected on her personal connection with the Aga Khan, recalling their meetings during Commonwealth Day celebrations at Westminster Abbey.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer-Trump-Getty

Trump has suggested the possibility of a 'great' trade deal that could help the UK mitigate the impact of tariffs he has pledged to introduce. (Photo: Getty Images)

Starmer, Trump talk trade deal progress in 'productive' discussion

KEIR STARMER and Donald Trump spoke on Sunday about ongoing UK-US trade negotiations, with Downing Street describing the talks as "productive."

Since leaving the European Union, the UK has been working to secure a trade agreement with the United States. Successive British governments have pursued a deal, but it has remained elusive.

Keep ReadingShow less
Myanmar-quake-rescue-Reuters

Rescuers carry the body of a victim during search and rescue operations, following a strong earthquake, in Bangkok, Thailand, March 30. (Photo: Reuters)

Myanmar earthquake death toll rises to 1,700, UK pledges £10m in aid

RESCUE efforts continued in Myanmar as residents searched for survivors in collapsed buildings in Mandalay, two days after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck the country. The disaster has killed at least 1,700 people in Myanmar and 17 in neighbouring Thailand.

The quake hit near Mandalay on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock. The tremors caused widespread destruction, damaging buildings, bridges, and roads in the city of more than 1.7 million people.

Keep ReadingShow less