Short Takes

Hinduja Group takes driving seat on India-UK busThe Hinduja Group has launched a new-age double decker bus through its UK subsidiary Optare in London.The blue MetroDecker marks a turnaround in the fortunes of ailing British bus manufacturer Optare, which had been acquired by the group′s flagship India-based firm Ashok Leyland three years ago and is now being promoted as a symbol of growth in India-UK relations under a new BJP-led government.G.P. Hinduja, co-chairman of the Hinduja Group, said: “We are extremely proud that Optare is transforming itself in to a truly international company, with the able support of Ashok Leyland, our group flagship that carries over 100 million people on its buses every day. In the first phase, Ashok Leyland invested heavily in upgrading Optare's capabilities by consolidating production in an all-new manufacturing facility in Leeds.“As part of the second phase, Ashok Leyland is supporting the development of a new series of products that will open more markets for Optare - the MetroDecker is a critical product in this new series. We will continue to invest in and make Optare a premium urban bus brand globally.”Endorsing the new Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi′s business friendly image, he added: “I would like to congratulate Mr Modi on the landslide victory he has achieved. The British PM [David Cameron] is very keen to see how Indo-UK trade and investment can grow and I think it is the most opportune time for British and Indian industry to grow together and be number one in Europe.”The Group owns 75 per cent of the stock in Optare and has now announced it as a hub for its global bus strategy. Ashok Leyland, India′s leading vehicle manufacturer, has already invested £20 million in Optare since its acquisition 2011.Indians make up UK′s highly skilled: Policy Exchange A new report that analyses Britain global population has found that Indians tend to cluster in the highest skilled professions in the country.The UK's Policy Exchange think tank presents a detailed picture of the five largest minority groups in the country - Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Black Africans and Black Caribbeans - as part of its A Portrait of Modern Britain handbook released this week.The study found that Britain's ethnic minority population is set to double in numbers to make up nearly a third of the country by 2050.It also found that the Indian community was the most dispersed all over the UK with most other ethnic minority communities predominantly living in three main cities of London, Manchester and Birmingham.Also, Indians stood out for their tendency to cluster in the highest skilled professions.“Almost all minority groups, except the Indian community, have unemployment rates double the national average... 24 per cent of Pakistani men are taxi drivers and half of all Bangladeshi men work in restaurants. In contrast 43 per cent of Indians work in the highest skilled professions,” the report found.The UK's five largest minority ethnic groups combined make up eight million people or 14 per cent of the population. This number has doubled in the past decade, while the white population has remained roughly the same, and so is predicted to increase to between 20 and 30 per cent of the population by the middle of the century, the report found on analysis of census, academic and polling data.The study′s authors argue that there are "clear and meaningful differences" between the different black and minority ethnic (BME) groups that should be addressed by politicians.They also note that nearly all BME communities tend to support Britain's Opposition Labour Party.The above article was published in India Inc′s print edition of the India Investment Journal launched in June 2014 in conjunction with the India Inc Seminar: A new dawn for India - What does it mean for UK-India Business