Assam Chief Secretary Dr Ravi Kota met Andrew Fleming, British Deputy High Commissioner to East and Northeast India, alongside Ms Haimanti Poddar, Senior Climate and Energy Adviser and Sustainable Mobility Policy Lead (India), UK FCDO.

In the context of the India–UK Free Trade Agreement coming into force on July 15, 2026, we discussed a strategic roadmap to strengthen Assam–UK cooperation across investment promotion, export growth, technology integration, infrastructure development and skills enhancement, leveraging Assam's rapidly evolving economic ecosystem.

The delegation presented the UK PACT-supported Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Need Assessment & Analysis Report for APDCL, which provides recommendations to strengthen grid reliability, accelerate renewable energy integration and support Assam's clean energy transition.

We also deliberated on the proposed Assam–UK Infrastructure Roundtable in Guwahati to facilitate partnerships in sustainable urbanisation, transport, flood resilience, climate-resilient infrastructure and project delivery, including potential engagement with UK Export Finance (UKEF).

Discussions further explored opportunities under the proposed UK–India Sovereign AI Partnership, including trusted AI infrastructure, sovereign cloud capabilities, advanced computing and AI governance frameworks to support Assam's digital transformation agenda.

The meeting reaffirmed our shared commitment to translating the opportunities emerging from the India–UK FTA into tangible outcomes through enhanced trade, investment, technology partnerships and institutional cooperation, supporting Assam's long-term growth and global competitiveness.