MUMBAI, JANUARY 6: Britain and India are undertaking a joint initiative to assist small and medium enterprises to tap the export market and establish new business partnerships under the umbrella of the Indo-British partnership (IBP). The programme called Global Enterprise Initiative (GEI) was announced by British secretary of state for trade and industry Stephen Byers on Thursday.The programme will be launched in Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in the first phase and extended to other states later. The sectors being targeted include infotech, health and food among others, IBP co-chairman David Jefferies said.SMEs in UK will be assisted to enter the Indian market with market assessments tailored to individual business needs, identification of potentially successful locations and monitoring from experienced industry people on issues like economic trends and choice of partners. Similarly, the package for SMEs in India will include introduction to potentialBritish partners, subsidised two-day technology appraisal by a UK consultant and a WTO 2005 assessment.The programme will be launched in spring (Feb-March) and run for two years. Around 200 collaborative ventures are expected. Pilots started at Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat last October have been successful. Byers will also announce an agenda to take trade between the two countries from 4 billion to 5 billion pounds at the CII Partnership Summit to be held in Delhi on January 10, 2000.
