BRICS ICT Track begins in Pune tomorrow, putting India’s digital diplomacy in focus

PUNE: India will put digital cooperation at the centre of its BRICS engagement from tomorrow, with the five-day BRICS ICT Track beginning in Pune on August 17 and bringing together government officials, communications ministers and technology experts from member countries.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) announced the programme on Saturday, saying the ICT Track will be held from August 17 to 21 under the theme “Innovate, Cooperate and Transform (ICT) for a Resilient Future”.

The event comes as India uses its 2026 BRICS chairship to advance cooperation in areas ranging from affordable connectivity and cybersecurity to artificial intelligence, digital public infrastructure and technology entrepreneurship.

The first three days, from August 17 to 19, will be devoted to the seventh BRICS Working Group Meeting for Cooperation in ICTs. Discussions will focus on universal, meaningful, affordable and resilient connectivity; trusted and human-centric digital environments; digital skills and capacity development; and innovation and entrepreneurship in ICT.

AI, next-generation communications, digital public infrastructure, cybersecurity, child online protection and cooperation across digital ecosystems will also feature in the working group’s agenda.

The programme will move into its public-facing phase on August 20 with the Digital BRICS Forum and Expo, which will showcase cooperation in emerging digital technologies and resilient ICT ecosystems.

Cybersecurity and trustworthy ICTs, including child online protection, will be among the key themes, alongside discussions on sustainable and resilient digital and ICT ecosystems.

The ICT Track will culminate on August 21 with the 12th BRICS Communications Ministers Meeting. Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya M. Scindia will participate from the Indian side.

Ministers are expected to discuss four broad areas: sustainable and resilient ICT ecosystems; cybersecurity and trustworthy ICT; digital skilling and capacity building; and innovation, startups and entrepreneurship.

Why Pune matters

The timing and agenda of the meeting underline how quickly ICT has moved from being a sectoral issue to a strategic component of international cooperation.

For emerging economies, the challenge is no longer simply to expand internet access. Countries increasingly need digital infrastructure that is affordable, secure, resilient and capable of supporting AI-driven economic growth.

India’s experience with digital public infrastructure and its expanding technology and startup ecosystem gives New Delhi an opportunity to use the BRICS platform to promote cooperation around scalable digital solutions.

At the same time, the presence of countries with very different technological capabilities, regulatory frameworks and digital ecosystems makes cooperation considerably more complex.

The Pune meetings will therefore test whether BRICS can move beyond declarations on digital cooperation towards practical collaboration in technology, skills, cybersecurity and digital infrastructure.

The five-day ICT Track is part of a wider series of BRICS meetings being held across India during the country’s 2026 chairship.

For India, the immediate objective is to bring digital technology higher on the BRICS agenda. The larger ambition is to make digital cooperation a pillar of its engagement with emerging economies at a time when the global competition over technology, AI and digital infrastructure is intensifying.