‘India building economic bridges’: PM Modi hails country’s business push at BRICS forum

Source: Hindustan Times | Original Published At: 2026-09-12 01:10:54 UTC

Key Points

• At the BRICS Business Forum, PM Modi said India's approach in BRICS is to reduce barriers and increase opportunities for businesses under its chairship.
• He cited new BRICS cooperation networks in agriculture, health, skills and smart grids, including the BRICS Incubator Network, BRICS MSME Portal and BRICS Startup Innovation Fund.
• Modi stressed that secure sea lanes, open supply routes and safe seafarers are essential for global trade, reaffirming India's support for freedom of navigation.
• He highlighted India's free trade agreements with about 40 countries since 2014 as part of building economic bridges amid rising global trade barriers.
• The Prime Minister pointed to India's 7.8% first-quarter growth, infrastructure investment, startup ecosystem and digital payments as evidence of resilience and innovation.
• He said India's Unified Payments Interface has scaled to 1.4 billion people and invited BRICS innovators to develop solutions based on that experience.
• Modi noted that BRICS has grown to 11 members and 10 partners, representing 50% of the world's population, 40% of global GDP and over 25% of trade.