London, July 10: The new British government on Thursday promised `an awareness-raising push' to expand Indo-British trade and set a target for two-way trade of five billion pound sterling by the turn of the century.

The new trade target was set by the president of the British board of trade and industry Margaret Beckett in her first address to visiting Indian industry delegation here saying it would be an increase of 20 per cent over last year. Industry minister M Murasoli Maran was present on the occassion.Beckett acknowledged that Indo-British trade relations had recorded a `quantum jump' over the last several years under the Tory rule and attributed this to the `confidence among British investors in India's future'. This momentum would be carried on under the new Labour government, she said.

``India is well placed in the top ten industrial nations and has a thriving high tech industry in so many varying sectors. It is on course to becoming among the top three industrial nations by 2010'', she told captains of Indian industry assembled here for the biggest-ever Indian expo in Britain. On Wednesday she had made a forceful plea to the British administration for greater trade coperation.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.