NEW DELHI, Apr 2: India assumed the BRICS chairship on January 1, and as such it has followed a people-centric and humanity-first approach, the government informed Parliament today.
The BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE, with Indonesia joining in 2025.
“India assumed the BRICS Chairship on January 1, 2026 under the theme, ‘Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability’. Priorities aligned with this overarching theme have been identified across all thematic tracks, including in the areas of trade, investment, and technology,” Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said in a written response.
The minister was responding to a query on major initiatives proposed by India during its BRICS Chairship in 2026.
India is set to host a number of meetings and activities later this year, culminating with the BRICS summit.
As the current chair of the BRICS, India is now navigating the challenge of finding a common position for the bloc on the West Asia conflict that began on February 28 after the US-Israel combine conducted military strikes on Iran.
Tehran retaliated by attacking countries in the Gulf, which have American bases.
“Some members of the BRICS are directly involved in the current situation in the West Asia region, which has impacted forging a consensus on a common BRICS position on the ongoing conflict,” MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing here in March.
The BRICS has emerged as an influential grouping as it brings together 11 major emerging economies, representing around 49.5 per cent of the global population, around 40 per cent of the global GDP and around 26 per cent of the global trade.
The MEA, in the Rajya Sabha, was also asked whether any conferences, cultural events or business forums related to BRICS are proposed to be organised in Indian cities.
The BRICS Contact Group on Economic and Trade Issues (CGETI) and the Partnership on New Industrial Revolution (PartNIR), along with the various thematic tracks on Finance, are taking forward discussion among members, Singh said.
The BRICS meetings are being conducted both virtually and in-person, the government said.
The in-person meetings have been planned in several cities, including Maharashtra and Gujarat.
“India’s BRICS Chairship has a people-centric and humanity-first approach,” Singh said.
He said India has proposed to host engagements with several arms of the grouping, such as the BRICS Youth Summit and the BRICS Film Festival.
Economic cooperation among BRICS member countries would be pursued through the meetings of the BRICS Finance Track, including meetings of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) and the BRICS CGETI, he said. (PTI)
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