Modi's visit to boost 'special relationship' of India,UK: Priti Patel

• Modi will be off to the UK between 12 November- 14 on official visit
• UK support Modi's "Made in India" initiative

London, Sept 6 (PTI) Britain's senior-most Indian-origin minister

has said Narendra Modi's first visit to the UK as the Prime Minister

will be a chance for the two countries to take their "special relationship into the modern context".

Priti Patel will be the driving force during Modi's much-anticipated

visit between November 12 and 14 as British Prime Minister David

Cameron's Indian Diaspora Champion.

She said Modi's visit at the time of auspicious occasion of Diwali

will be one of the biggest celebrations in the UK.

"It is such a special and auspicious occasion for all Indians and

the fact that we have the Prime Minister of India coming to the UK

at that auspicious time to be among the largest Indian Diaspora communities

in the world will absolutely make this a very exciting celebration

and a very important illustration of the strength of the relationship

of our two great nations," 43-year-old Patel told PTI.

"I am thrilled to be involved in supporting the official visit and

also being involved in the community event at Wembley Stadium (November

13). We have an enormous, very successful Indian Diaspora in the

UK. I think they are absolutely at the heart of this visit. It will

be a tremendous celebration of the UK-Indian Diaspora," she added.

Patel, who took charge as employment minister in the Cameron-led

Cabinet after the May elections, said the visit would be a chance

for the two countries to take their "special relationship into the

modern context in terms of supporting Prime Minister Modi's vision

of economic development".

"India as a global leader stands tall in the world and we can support

India's global aspirations, whether it's on employment, on investment

or on trade. As two nations we stand together, shoulder to shoulder

to meet those shared objectives," she said.

The Conservative party MP from Witham constituency in the north

east of London returned from Turkey this week after her first G20

summit as minister of state for employment.

Among her meetings included a bilateral with her Indian counterpart Bandaru

Dattatreya and they collectively signed a pledge to bring down the

number of young people "Not in Education, Employment or Training",

or NEETs, by 15 per cent.

"As we have the PM of India coming later this year, we wanted to

build a dialogue at the G20 which will facilitate growth and investment

in India. There is no doubt when it comes to Make in India, we absolutely

are there to support the Indian government.

"Central to that is skills, training and education and we can support

India in investing in people. So we see this as a natural collaboration,

a natural partnership," she explained.