Hindu devotees perform "Tarpan" rituals to pay obeisance to their forefathers on the last day of "Pitru Paksha", or days for offering prayers to ancestors, on the banks of the River Ganges in Kolkata on October 8, 2018. - In Hindu mythology, this day is also called "Mahalaya" and describes the day when the gods created the ten-armed goddess Durga to destroy the demon king Asura who plotted to drive out the gods from their kingdom. The five-day period of worship of Durga, who is attributed as the destroyer of evil, commences on October 15, this year. (Photo by Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP) (Photo credit should read DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images)

A top official from India’s Ministry of Earth Sciences has said on Thursday (25) that India and UK will collaborate on research on various aspects of country’s Ganga delta region and the Bay of Bengal.

Discussions with regard to the project were on between the two countries, said M Rajeevan, secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences on the sidelines of an event launched by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in New Delhi.

The Ganga delta is highly eco-sensitive and there is an urgency to study it, he added.

Speaking on the Bay of Bengal, Rajeevan noted that, it is also critical to India in terms of resources and also has an effect on the country’s Southwest Monsoon.

The top official also informed that the two nations will finalise the partnering the organisations, agencies for the new collaboration in the very near future. India and UK are also cooperating in various areas of earth science and weather.

Sharing his views in the event, British High Commissioner to India Dominic Asquith noted that the collaboration between the two nations through UKRI has generated innovative scientific and technological solutions which is expected to transform both our societies and economies.

Both M Rajeevan and Dominic Asquithwas were speaking at the formal launch of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in India which has been marked with a series of events highlighting the long-standing and successful history of collaboration between the two nations.

The Together for Impact event in New Delhi celebrated the partnership and impact from a decade of India-UK research and innovation collaboration and was attended by over 250 senior government officials, academics, policy makers, and businesses from both nations.

In the ten years since the establishment of the dedicated Research Councils UK India office, more than £300 million has been co-invested in India-UK collaborative projects covering the full spectrum of research and innovation – from arts to astronomy. The UK has risen from fourth to second place among India’s international research collaborators.

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