CM Hemant Soren Holds Talks with UK Minister to Expand Cooperation in Education, Mining and Climate Action

London – Jharkhand Chief Minister  Hemant Soren met Seema Malhotra, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Equalities and Indo-Pacific) of the United Kingdom, to explore avenues for strengthening practical cooperation between Jharkhand and the UK across education, skills development, responsible mining, climate transition, and cultural heritage.

During the meeting, the UK side appreciated Jharkhand’s flagship Marang Gomke Jaipal Munda Overseas Scholarship and the Chevening–Marang Gomke Overseas Scholarship, describing them as a strong example of the evolving India–UK partnership. Over the past four years, more than 100 students from Jharkhand have benefited from these scholarship programmes.

Both sides expressed interest in developing sustainability-linked scholarship pathways, including structured mechanisms that connect overseas education with mentoring, internships, leadership development, and exposure to public service and governance.

Discussions were also held on facilitating linkages with leading UK universities, skills institutions, and qualification authorities to establish institutional partnerships. Potential areas of collaboration include mining technology, environmental sustainability, data and artificial intelligence, governance, and public policy. Proposed initiatives cover joint academic programmes, faculty exchanges, applied research, as well as Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and apprenticeship pathways.

On economic and climate cooperation, the Chief Minister proposed closer engagement with UK expertise in responsible mining, particularly in areas such as ESG frameworks, mineral traceability, mine safety, cleaner processing technologies, and pilot technology demonstrations. Both sides discussed the possibility of creating a Jharkhand–UK Working Track on Responsible Critical Minerals, aimed at linking standards, research and development, innovation ecosystems, and resilient supply-chain partnerships.

The meeting also explored collaboration with UK climate and finance institutions to design transition finance models for coal-region diversification, climate resilience, and worker and community support. Jharkhand was positioned as a potential pilot state for implementable “just transition” programmes, with urban mobility and climate financing identified as complementary areas for cooperation.

Cultural, sports, and heritage exchanges were identified as high-impact avenues to strengthen people-to-people ties. Shri Soren sought UK cooperation under the India–UK Heritage Conservation Agreement to support the preservation of Jharkhand’s megaliths and monoliths, drawing on international best practices such as Stonehenge, with a long-term vision of pursuing UNESCO recognition.

The Chief Minister invited Minister Malhotra to visit Jharkhand to further advance the discussions, an invitation she received positively. During the visit, Shri Soren was also shown the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) headquarters, and Minister Malhotra invited him to visit Stonehenge, the UK’s iconic megalithic heritage site.