In the 5th meeting of BRICS Industry Ministers led by Piyush Goyal, the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Textiles, expressed India's wish to broaden the scope of the NDB and direct resources toward the building of social infrastructure as well as the growth of the industrial sector.
Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Textiles presided over the “5th Meeting of BRICS Industry Ministers” under India's chairmanship. The Ministers of Industry from the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa) Xiao Yaqing, Minister of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic of China, Ebrahim Patel, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition of the Republic of South Africa, Carlos Da Costa, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Economy, Government of Brazil, and delegates attended the virtual meeting.
This year, India chose the theme of BRICS@15: Intra BRICS Cooperation for Continuity, Consolidation, and Consensus. The Joint Declaration was adopted at the 5th Meeting of BRICS Industry Ministers on August 18, 2021.
India’s attempts to channel technology toward good and smart government, so boosting openness and accountability, were lauded. India has created a thriving and active start-up ecosystem, leveraging existing platforms and digital technologies such as Aadhar and UPI payments to ensure the delivery of crucial services to the last mile. Today, online solutions such as COWIN and digital immunisation certificates are being recognised as success stories all around the world.
Ministers acknowledged the enormous impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, notably on commerce and industry. They praised our COVID fighters, our physicians, nurses, paramedics, and scientists from all BRICS countries for their heroic and never-ending efforts to save our lives.
The BRICS Industry Ministers recognised the importance of adopting emerging new technologies in a rapidly changing world and recognised this as an important tool for modernization and transformation of industry, promotion of inclusive economic growth, and thus assisting BRICS national economies in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.
They agreed that workshops, seminars, and exchange programmes should be used to develop human resources in response to changing requirements accelerated by new emerging technology. They also agreed that workshops, seminars, and exchange programmes should be used to promote training and skills development of the related workforce and businesses.
They reaffirmed their commitment to fostering an open, fair, and nondiscriminatory trade environment, ensuring greater participation in global value chains, promoting digital inclusion, assessing the implications, and encouraging the progressive, safe, equitable, and long-term use of disruptive technologies for growth. They stated their aim to work with the New Development Bank (NDB). India expressed a wish to broaden the scope of the NDB and direct resources toward the building of social infrastructure as well as the growth of the industrial sector.
The meeting concluded with the BRICS Industry Ministers reaffirming their commitment to working as a group, complementing each other’s strengths, sharing best practices and learning from weaknesses, and moving forward in a positive and constructive manner to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
