India and Britain agree to push economic to new high

India and Britain Tuesday agreed to push their economic and trade relations to a new high while launching talks on a civil nuclear agreement. Visiting British Prime Minister David Cameron and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh discussed India's application for membership of the world's elite nuclear club, Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and other multilateral export control regimes during talks held in the Indian capital. "I thanked Prime Minister Cameron for the UK's support for India's full membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group and other multilateral export control regimes. We have also decided to commence negotiations on a bilateral Civil Nuclear Agreement," Singh said at a press conference with Cameron after the talks at the Hyderabad House in central Delhi. Cameron, who brought a 100-member delegation of officials and businessmen, has expressed optimism for bilateral relation. "It is a strong partnership that we want to build together.. we are on track to double our trade to 23 billion pounds by 2015," he said. Cameron said earlier Monday in Mumbai that Britain would ease visa norms for Indian businessmen and students. Besides trade relations, the two prime ministers also discussed the newly emerged scam over an Indian government contract to buy 12 British made VVIP choppers, as the deal has been shrouded in suspected corruption after the CEO of a Italian corporation which owns the British company Agusta Westland -- which makes the choppers -- was arrested last week in Rome over suspected bribery. Situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan was also on the agenda of talks between Singh and Cameron. The two sides are also considering set up a contact group on Afghanistan to exchange information during the period of NATO pullout from the war-torne country which is due next year