India Champions Inclusive Digital Growth and Space Sustainability at BRICS
Photo Credit: PIB
India reaffirmed its strong commitment to inclusive and sustainable digital transformation at the 11th BRICS Communications Ministers’ Meeting held in Brasília, Brazil. Representing India, Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, shared India’s vision of making digital access available to all and highlighted the country’s achievements in building a future-ready digital ecosystem.
Dr. Chandra Sekhar presented India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) as a global example of how technology can be used to drive inclusive growth. He spoke about the impact of initiatives like Aadhaar and Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which have helped millions of Indians access essential services and enabled real-time digital payments. Aadhaar has given over 950 million people a secure digital identity, while UPI now contributes to 46% of the world’s digital transactions.
He credited this progress to the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, under whom India has built a strong, scalable, and inclusive digital system that other countries are now looking to learn from. He urged BRICS nations to work together to adopt similar digital models that are open, interoperable, and designed to benefit all citizens while preventing monopolies.
Dr. Sekhar also talked about India’s growing startup ecosystem, skill development programs, and recent laws like the Telecommunications Act and Data Protection Act, which help protect user data and strengthen digital trust. He emphasized India’s Sanchar Saathi initiative that works to fight telecom fraud and called for greater cooperation among BRICS countries on cybersecurity and digital safety.
India’s rural connectivity push through the BharatNet project was also highlighted. The Digital Bharat Nidhi programme has funded major projects that now connect over 218,000 village councils with high-speed internet. India’s own development and wide rollout of 4G and 5G technologies have brought fast internet to over 95% of its population with 4G and over 80% with 5G. With the world’s lowest mobile data rates—just 12 cents per GB—India has become a leader in affordable digital access.
On space sustainability, Dr. Chandra Sekhar said that space is no longer a distant domain but a key part of digital infrastructure. He spoke about India’s policy reforms, such as improved satellite communication rules and support for mobile and IoT satellite services. He encouraged BRICS nations to work together on fair use of orbital resources and avoid competition in space.
He also raised concerns about the environmental impact of rapid digital growth, especially the increasing e-waste. He mentioned India’s efforts through the Green Development Pact and climate goals shared at the G20 and COP-26 summits. He urged BRICS countries to adopt sustainable ICT practices and support circular economy models.
Dr. Sekhar praised Brazil for hosting the event and welcomed the Final Declaration adopted by BRICS, which supports innovation and digital cooperation. He invited all BRICS members to the next Communications Ministers’ Meeting in India in 2026, reaffirming India’s vision of working together for a better digital future under the motto “One Earth, One Family, One Future.”
Source: PIB
