An historic cultural agreement has been signed between the British and Indian governments, following the Prime Minister’s visit to India last month for trade talks. A DCMS spokesperson told AP: “It fits the wider government ambition, we want to build closer links with the Indian government. Culture is a big part of that, which is why we’ve adopted [this] position.”
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is designed to better exchange arts and performance, and promote cultural understanding between the countries. The deal, signed by Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport Jeremy Hunt and Jawhar Sircar from the Indian Ministry of Culture, is similar to the first MoU Britain signed up to in 2004, with China. The DCMS confirmed that although there was no specific budget set aside for the new partnership between Britain and India, the British Council is responsible for administering the programme, in order to “smooth cultural exchanges.” A British Council spokesperson said “[it] would be working with top-level museums and cultural orgnisations” to ensure “closer collaboration, better relationships and greater mobility”.