Second phase of Access India Programme launched in UK

The second phase of the Access India Programme (AIP), an initiative to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from the UK access the Indian market, was launched in London on Friday.

The High Commission of India initiative building on the Indian government's Make in India drive is delivered by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC), which was formally signed up for AIP-II to carry on the hand-holding process for the UK SMEs keen to expand into India.

"Since the launch of the first phase in 2017, the Access India Programme has selected 50 companies from all over the UK in two cohorts. The support for these companies will continue in the second phase even as we work with 20 new companies," said Ruchi Ghanashyam, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK.

"It reflects some of the impressive improvements that India has made in the area of ease of doing business. Over the last five years, there has been an improvement of 79 positions in the World Bank rankings. This easier environment and the assistance through the Access India Programme offers a very good opportunity for companies to establish their presence in India," she said.

The AIP-II will build on the first phase of the programme, designed specifically to assist smaller companies through their India journey as a "sub-set" of the Make in India programme, added Manish Singh, Minister (Economic) at the Indian High Commission, who signed the contract for phase 2 on behalf of the Indian government.

"This is an end-to-end programme which helps SMEs -- the backbone of the UK economy -- expand into a market which appears difficult but once accessed, proves very beneficial," said Richard Heald, CEO of UKIBC, the knowledge partner for the programme.

The AIP is designed to address the requirements of mainly manufacturing and technology SMEs across the UK, with the likes of electric vehicle firm Tevva Motors among those making use of the programme for its India entry.

"For us, this programme ticks all the boxes on the list of SMEs," said Richard Lidstone-Scott of Tevva Motors, which struck up a partnership with Indian manufacturing major Bharat Forge after being introduced as part of the Access India Programme.

"Our research has found that it is getting easier every year to do business in India, with finding the right partner consistently flagged among the top three barriers. That is where this programme comes in," said Kevin McCole, COO of UKIBC.