PM Narendra Modi Warns at BRICS Summit Against Weaponisation of Critical Minerals

Source: Loksatta | Original Published At: 2026-09-13 22:27:04 UTC

Key Points

• PM Modi warned that using technology or critical minerals to exert economic or strategic pressure harms not only targeted countries but also global development.
• He stressed that supply chains for critical minerals, essential for clean energy, energy security and new technologies, must be reliable, diversified, sustainable and equitable.
• BRICS agreed to work on an integrated early warning system for infectious diseases and guidelines for disaster management information integration.
• Modi said BRICS cooperation should extend beyond governments to entrepreneurs, farmers, researchers, women, youth and ordinary citizens.
• BRICS initiatives highlighted include BRICS Connect, an MSME cooperation portal, an urban transport centre, a startup innovation network and a proposed BRICS Startup Innovation Fund.
• The article mentions efforts to link AI, geospatial technology and digital public infrastructure with farmers' needs through digital agriculture.
• At the closing ceremony, Modi urged converting BRICS cooperation from files into concrete action and making BRICS solutions accessible to the Global South.