Modi Warns Against Weaponisation of Critical Minerals at BRICS Summit
PM Modi warned that weaponisation of technology and critical minerals could hinder shared progress, while outlining BRICS initiatives on health, supply chains and clean energy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his closing remarks at the BRICS Summit to caution that the weaponisation of technology and critical minerals could obstruct collective growth, stressing the need for inclusivity in technological adoption. Addressing a session titled 'Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability', he said India's presidency had concentrated on these four pillars to convert a shared vision into mutually beneficial collaboration.
Modi observed that global tensions are mounting and adversely affecting ordinary lives, noting that pandemics, climate disasters and supply chain disruptions demonstrate how no crisis stays confined to a single region in an interconnected world. He emphasised timely identification of challenges and immediate action, pointing to an agreed integrated BRICS early warning system for infectious diseases, early warning data integration guidelines for disaster management, and a logistics supply chain cooperation framework to make supply chains more dependable.
On innovation, the Prime Minister said the BRICS Incubator Network will link startups and incubators, while a proposed BRICS Startup Innovation Fund aims to promote scalable solutions. A network on digital agriculture will align artificial intelligence, geospatial technology and digital public infrastructure with farmers' actual needs.
Modi also highlighted efforts to widen participation beyond governments through BRICS Connect, which promotes skills, women's workforce participation, social security and capacity building. An MSME cooperation portal seeks to connect small entrepreneurs with knowledge, finance and new markets, and an urban mobility hub will facilitate sharing of best practices among cities.
On sustainability, he said a balance between human development and the environment is a responsibility toward future generations. Initiatives include a digital centre of excellence for smart grids and energy storage, centres of excellence on agroecology and regenerative agriculture linking traditional knowledge with modern science, and principles for community-based climate adaptation that place indigenous knowledge at the centre of climate action.