British deputy higher commissioner Sanjay Wadvani addresses the seminar organised by British High Commission in Patna on Wednesday. Picture by Ashok Sinha

Bihar on Wednesday got a pat from a British diplomat on Wednesday, who believes several companies from the UK were evincing interest to work in sectors like infrastructure and education in the state.

“Bihar has emerged as the right place to be, if one looked for tapping opportunities for business and investment. A number of British companies have evinced interest in working in sectors like infrastructure, education and skills and low-carbon development,” British deputy higher commissioner Sanjay Wadvani said at a seminar, “UK & Bihar in Partnership — A Way Forward”, at a city hotel in Patna.

“The chief minister deserves all credit for improvement in law and order situation and the changing perception about Bihar has helped attract investments for development of infrastructure and ensure inclusive growth. Kumar must be congratulated for his vision that has made Bihar a success story in governance and development which was being talked about effusively in India and abroad,” he said.

He added that a number of successful migrant people from Bihar have returned to their roots after hearing about the success story of their ancestral land.

Wadvani also said that UK-based companies had the right mix of business expertise, skill and experience to work with the local industry in various sectors.

Industries department director Shailesh Thakur, who was also present at the seminar, welcomed any form of investment. Thakur said: “We are interested in bringing up food parks in the state and investments for it are welcome.”

He added that 20 per cent of the expenditure on the food parks would be reimbursed by the state. The parks would comprise food storage blocks, processing units, testing centres and labs — all under one roof.

The seminar was organised by the British deputy high commission, in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Bihar. Pramod Sharma, the former chairman of CII, Bihar state council was also present on the occasion.

Deepak Kumar Singh, the managing director of Bihar Industrial Area Develop- ment Authority (Biada), said the state also needs investment in the skill-development sector.

Michael Connolly, a senior training consultant from the British Council division of the British High Commission, during a presentation, said in partnership with the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Bihar department of education, the Bihar Language Initiative for Secondary School (BLISS) programme was initiated in 2012.

The BLISS project aims at addressing the needs of teachers and learners by providing access to high-quality teaching and learning materials. It also lays emphasis on the value of English for employability. Around 160 teachers of government schools were trained, who would later act as a support base and mentor others.