Queen welcomes Indian President

Indian President Pratibha Patil received a red-carpet welcome from Queen Elizabeth II yesterday at the start of a three-day state visit to former colonial power Britain.

Ms Patil, the first Indian woman to be elected to the ceremonial role, was taken in a state carriage procession to Windsor Castle, where she will stay during the trip.

The President, who was also honoured at a banquet last night, is the first Indian head of state to visit Britain for almost 20 years.

Improving trade links and boosting British investment in India will be high on the agenda for the visit, which will include talks with Prime Minister Gordon Brown today, Indian officials said.

Britain is the biggest European investor in India and bilateral trade between the two countries was worth £12.6 billion in 2008, according to the Foreign Office in London. The countries also cooperate closely on counter-terrorism, in particular sharing information on attacks on transport systems in London in 2005 and Mumbai the year after, as well as climate change and non-proliferation.

Some 1.3 million Indians live in Britain, representing about two per cent of the population, according to Foreign Office figures.

Ms Patil, who arrived on Monday, will also join the British monarch tomorrow in launching the baton relay for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

The relay will start at Buckingham Palace in London and travel through 70 countries before reaching the Indian capital when the games open on October 3 next year.