The BRICS countries have adopted a final declaration aimed at bolstering cross-border digital innovation and sustainability at the 11th BRICS Communications Ministers’ Meeting in Brasília, according to an Indian statement on Tuesday.
India was represented at the 11-nation Global South grouping's meeting by Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, the Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development.
Welcoming the adoption of the final declaration, the Indian minister hailed intra-BRICS cooperation and noted the role of new members in "enriching" the dialogue in the national statement, stated the Indian readout released by the Ministry of Communications.
"He reiterated India’s belief that BRICS is not merely a platform for engagement, but a collective of co-creators working toward digital equity and resilience. He commended Brazil’s leadership as host and the clarity of vision reflected in the Declaration, especially in light of BRICS’ expanding global footprint," it said.
Describing India's Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) as a "global benchmark" for inclusive governance, Sekhar said that India's digital governance priorities aligned with those of the theme of the Brazilian BRICS presidency, which is "Universal and Meaningful Connectivity, Space Sustainability, Environmental Sustainability, and the Digital Ecosystem".
The Indian minister highlighted that India's digital governance schemes like Aadhar and the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) had not only achieved "universal and meaningful connectivity", but also "empowered" 950 million Indian citizens. At the same time, he hailed the fact that UPI had "revolutionalised" real-time digital payments, with India not accounting for 46% of global online transactions.
Sekhar said that Aadhar and UPI have been "inspiring" countries around the world, especially those in Global South.
The Indian delegate also called for an expanded intra-BRICS cooperation in the spheres of cybersecurity and data protection as well as combatting digital fraud.
At the meeting, Sekhar also commended India's journey in overcoming the "digital divide" through replicable schemes like 'Digital Bharat Nidhi', under which over 218,000 villages have been connected under the BharatNet initiative. He noted that India has emerged as a "global leader" in affordable digital access, with the lowest data rates in the world.
"India’s indigenous development and mass deployment of 4G and 5G technologies have enabled near-universal high-speed connectivity, now covering over 95% of the population with 4G and more than 80% with 5G," he stated.
Further, Sekhar urged the BRICS nations to "lead global discourse" on orbital equity, spectrum governance, and space traffic management, while calling for a "cooperative" approach rather than competition.
Sekhar also took the opportunity to invite his BRICS counterparts for the 12th BRICS Communications Ministers’ Meeting under the Indian presidency next year.