India Urges BRICS Collaboration on Digital Public Infrastructure

The Government of India is hosting a series of high-level BRICS ICT events in Pune as part of its 2026 chairship, focusing on digital equity and resilient connectivity. During the BRICS ICT Track event, Minister of State for Telecom Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani called for member nations to collaborate on digital public infrastructure (DPI) and joint workforce training. Pemmasani offered to share India's open-source frameworks, such as Aadhaar, DigiLocker, and the Unified Payments Interface, to help member states reduce licensing costs and avoid duplicating development efforts.

Pemmasani further urged BRICS members to jointly advocate for fair international telecom and ICT standards to challenge the dominance of technologically advanced nations in standard-setting bodies. These efforts aim to build institutional capacity and drive poverty reduction across the Global South.

Following the ICT Working Group meetings, Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya M Scindia is chairing the 12th BRICS Communication Ministers Meeting on August 21. Under the theme "Innovate, Cooperate and Transform (ICT) for a Resilient Future," the assembly addresses cybersecurity and resilient connectivity. As part of the proceedings, Scindia will inaugurate the Digital BRICS Forum Expo to facilitate technology transfer among the 11 member nations, including Brazil, China, Russia, and South Africa.