UK PM David Cameron begins India visit

Bangalore: British prime minister David Cameron began a two-day visit to India with a breakfast meeting with governor HR Bhardwaj on his arrival here in the city of Bangalore, the capital of the southern Indian state of Karnataka.

The arrival of a young prime minister, freshly sworn into his position, who has stated intentions of substantially revitalising Indo-UK relations rousing it from its current humdrum state, may well herald the onset of an eventful visit.

With the avowed intention of focusing heavily on boosting relations with India in the course of his premiership and also altering the thrust of British foreign policy and giving it a more commercial orientation, Cameron arrives with a large entourage of ministers, business heads, academics and sportspersons.

His arrival at Bangalore is significant in that he may wish to connect with a city that has become the signature identity of a modern, competitive and upbeat India – a city that is synonymous with India's IT revolution.

Bangalore is also synonymous with the science, defence and technology sectors as it hosts the state-owned aerospace giant Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) along with a number of other prestigious space, defence and technology establishments. 

Cameron is due to visit India's IT bellwether Infosys Technologies Ltd and deliver a lecture to its employees. He will later visit HAL which manufactures the British designed advanced jet trainers (AJTs) Hawk under licence from British defence firm BAE Systems.