‘New & ambitious agenda’: PM Modi proposes Brics continuity mechanism with Troika system, digital repository
At the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, a continuity and implementation mechanism anchored in the bloc's existing "Troika" arrangement was proposed, along with a secure digital repository to track decisions, nodal points, and timeframes across rotating annual presidencies.
The proposal was made as BRICS marked the 20th anniversary of its founding as a diplomatic forum while hosting its 18th annual summit.
Calls were made for time-bound reform of global governance institutions, including the UN Security Council, and for greater representation and voting influence for developing nations in international financial institutions.
The summit's joint statement was finalised after extended overnight negotiations among member states, reflecting continued emphasis on the "Global South" acting as a shaper of rules rather than only a rule-taker in multilateral forums.
BRICS — Origin, Evolution and the Troika System
BRICS began as an informal grouping when foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, India and China met on the margins of the UN General Assembly in September 2006. The first leaders' summit was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009 (as "BRIC"); South Africa joined in 2010, forming "BRICS." The bloc expanded again from 1 January 2024 to admit Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE, followed by Indonesia's accession in January 2025, taking membership to ten countries. The "Troika" refers to the informal coordination among the immediate past, current, and incoming chair-countries, used to preserve institutional memory as the chairship rotates annually.
Because the chairship rotates every year among a growing and diverse membership, a formal Troika-based continuity mechanism and digital repository is intended to stop decisions from resetting each time the chair changes — a structural gap the summit sought to address.
Reform of the UN Security Council and Global Governance
India, along with Brazil, Germany and Japan, forms the "G4" grouping that jointly advocates for UN Security Council reform, seeking an expansion of the Council from its present 15 seats (5 permanent, 10 non-permanent) to include new permanent and non-permanent members reflecting current geopolitical realities. India has opposed a discriminatory two-tier permanent membership but has indicated flexibility on deferring veto power for new permanent members for an initial period.
Key Details
- UNSC's five permanent members (P5: US, UK, France, Russia, China) hold veto power under Article 27(3) of the UN Charter
- G4 nations (India, Brazil, Germany, Japan) support each other's bids for permanent seats
- India has been a non-permanent UNSC member eight times, most recently 2021-22
- China remains the only P5 member that has not endorsed India's permanent-seat bid
BRICS' repeated call for "time-bound" UNSC reform reflects India's long-standing G4-aligned position, using the multilateral platform to press for a permanent seat and a more representative Council.
Constitutional Basis: Article 51 (DPSP) — Promotion of International Peace and Security
Article 51, a Directive Principle of State Policy under Part IV of the Constitution, directs the State to endeavour to promote international peace and security, maintain just and honourable relations between nations, foster respect for international law and treaty obligations, and encourage settlement of international disputes by arbitration.
India's push for representative and rules-based global governance reform through BRICS is consistent with the DPSP mandate to foster international law and just relations between nations.
Reform of International Financial Institutions (IMF, World Bank)
Developing nations have long sought increased voting shares ("quotas") in the IMF and World Bank, arguing that current allocations under-represent their share of global GDP and population. BRICS members have repeatedly called for quota reviews to reflect the growing economic weight of emerging economies.
Key Details
- IMF quotas determine both financial contribution and voting power; the last general quota review (16th) concluded in 2023 without a realignment of quota shares among members
- BRICS' own New Development Bank (established 2015, Shanghai) and Contingent Reserve Arrangement (2014, $100 billion) were created partly as alternatives to Bretton Woods institutions perceived as slow to reform
- India, China, Brazil, Russia together account for a large and rising share of global GDP (PPP terms) relative to their combined IMF voting share
The call for greater representation of developing nations in international financial institutions reflects the same underlying grievance that motivated the creation of BRICS' own financial institutions a decade earlier.
- 18th BRICS Summit: New Delhi, 12-13 September 2026, venue Bharat Mandapam
- 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of BRICS' founding (first FM meeting, September 2006)
- BRICS membership (2026): Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE, Indonesia (10 members)
- India's BRICS chairship years: 2012, 2016, 2021, 2026
- UNSC composition: 15 members — 5 permanent (with veto) + 10 non-permanent (2-year elected terms)
- G4 nations for UNSC reform: India, Brazil, Germany, Japan