King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia will undertake a State Visit to India in early December, the Royal Court announced on Monday.
From 2 to 6 December, the King and Queen of Sweden will visit New Delhi, Mumbai and various places within the state of Uttarakhand. They will be joined by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Industry, the State Secretary and the Minister of Social Affairs, and around 50 Swedish businesses during their State Visit.
These Swedish companies will range from “established large companies and start-up companies” according to the Royal Court.
The Royal Court announced that the purpose of the State Visit will be to “further strengthen the good relationship between Sweden and India and to promote Swedish-Indian cooperation.”
The countries’ cooperation can be seen “within the framework of the joint action plan, the innovation partnership and signed memoranda of understanding” and “confirms Sweden’s willingness to be a key partner for India in the country’s rapid development and in meeting common social challenges in areas such as climate/environment, infrastructure, research and health.”
The Royal Court said that “the visit helps to facilitate increased trade and investment for Swedish and Indian companies in both directions.”
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia will arrive on 1 December in New Delhi, the night before the visit begins.
On the first day, Their Majesties will take part in an official welcoming ceremony and wreath laying at the memorial site of Mahatma Gandhi’s cremation in Rajghat. There will be meetings with the President, Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister, and Their Majesties will also attend meetings about innovation between Sweden and India through business, academia and government.
Their Majesties will visit the Great Mosque of Jama Masjid and the World Heritage Red Fort before ending their first day with a State Banquet at the Presidential Palace.
The second day will see a focus on climate, environment, and business issues. The first event of the day will be the India Sweden Business Summit, which will encourage dialogue between Indian and Swedish businesses to discuss collaborations and opportunities.
King Carl XVI Gustaf will participate in a roundtable discussion on Sweden and India’s work for emissions and air pollution. Queen Silvia will visit the All India Institute for Medial Science to learn about elderly care and dementia care in the country.
Queen Silvia will also visit the UN in India to hear about how the country is working to prevent human trafficking.
Their Majesties will also attend a lunch hosted by the Swedish Institute before attending the opening of the India Sweden Business Leaders’ Roundtable. In the evening, they will attend a reception at the Swedish Embassy.
On the third day, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia will travel to Mumbai to begin a day of engagements there, including visiting Versova Beach for the world’s largest beach clean-up project.
Their Majesties will visit Doorstep School, which provides free school and homework help to poor children and attend a workshop about inspiring girls to learn about technology. King Carl XVI Gustaf will meet with Swedish and Indian business leaders in Mumbai that evening before Their Majesties attend a reception hosted by the Swedish Consulate General at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangarahalaya Museum.
On the fourth day, Their Majesties will travel to the state of Uttarakhand. There, they will visit Rishikesh on the Ganges River to meet with young environmental activists and the Centre for Science and Environment. Before leaving the Ganges, they will take part in a traditional ceremony.
Afterwards, King Carl XVI Gustaf will join the Indian Minister for Water Affairs to open two water treatment plants in Haridwar. Then, Their Majesties will meet with experts in nature conservation and sustainable forestry for meetings throughout the afternoon and evening.
On their final day in India, Their Majesties will continue to meet with experts to discuss environmental protection and biodiversity. Their final engagement will be to visit the Van Gujjar village to learn more about traditional farming and animal husbandry in the area.
