India to ink MoU with the UK for urban transport planning

The government of India is set to sign an MoU with the UK and Transport for London. Yesterday, Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, met Chris Grayling, Secretary of State for Transport, government of the United Kingdom, and discussed the draft MoU for the urban transport sector for cooperation in policy planning, technology transfer and institutional organisation.

The draft MoU seeks to facilitate cooperation in the transport sector and enable the sharing of expertise and latest technology to promote efficient mobility solutions. It is also expected to usher in policy reforms that can transform the transport sector through improved customer service/data analysis and better use of IT systems.

Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road, Transport & Highways, with Chris Grayling, Secretary of State for Transport, government of the United Kingdom. (Nitin Gadkari/Twitter) 

The Indian government is optimistic that this will also help in promoting digital transactions and induction of high-capacity diesel/electric vehicles in India. The cooperation will also establish the terms on which such assistance can be provided.

According to a government notification today, the decision to sign the MoU follows from Gadkari’s earlier visit to London in May this year, during which he finalised bilateral cooperation arrangements between Transport for London (TFL) and Indian Ministry of Road Transport & Highways to cover a wide range of transport mobility solutions and associated activities in urban environment electric buses, hydrogen buses, bus innovation, capacity augmentation and water transport.