'Indian private sector expertise can contribute largely to global health'

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: The UK Secretary of State for International Development and a Cabinet minister in Gordon Brown’s first Cabinet, Douglas Alexander, was on an official visit to India to strengthen UK-India development partnership. He was scheduled

to meet commerce and industry minister Kamal Nath, Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, science and technology minister Kapil Sibal and finance minister P Chidambaram. Alexander announced UK’s intent to work with Clinton Foundation to help Indian pharmaceutical companies produce cheaper drugs for malaria and AIDS in India and Africa. The programme will provide technical support to Indian companies in producing and registering new treatments for AIDS and malaria, and negotiate affordable prices for the drugs. Alexander spoke to Soma Das of FE on how the UK and India plan to take their partnership forward.

Which are the specific sectors apart from healthcare and pharma that would see intensified collaborations between India and UK in future? What is the roadmap you have in mind to take these collaborations forward?

We are working towards delivering three overarching objectives— better basic services (education and health), inclusive growth (improving access to finance and rural livelihoods) and governance reform to ensure the government can deliver these services. These programmes are developed in partnership with the Government of India and contribute to the implementation of the government’s 11th Five Year Plan. The UK launched its new seven-year Country Assistance Plan in June 2008. This sets out our priorities in supporting the Government of India’s development plans.

Are there learnings that UK is studying from Indian experiences in any specific sector?

India has plenty of experience that is of great interest around the world, including in the UK. Indian expertise in producing low cost generic drugs is a particular example of how the Indian private sector can contribute to global health.

Research and technology are other areas where India is rapidly becoming a global leader— we are keen to continue to explore ways to facilitate the transfer of Indian ideas and expertise to support other countries achieve development and growth objectives.

What are the possible ways that India and UK can get together to address challenges thrown by the current liquidity crunch and global financial crisis?