India joins BRICS Centre for industrial competencies to boost MSMEs

New Delhi: India has joined the BRICS Centre for Industrial Competencies (BCIC) at an event organised by the Centre’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in the national capital, according to an official statement issued on Wednesday.

The BCIC, launched in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), serves as a one-stop centre providing integrated support services to manufacturing companies and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across BRICS countries, with a focus on strengthening Industry 4.0 competencies.

On the occasion, a Trust Fund Agreement was signed between DPIIT and UNIDO. The agreement was signed by Economic Adviser, DPIIT, Agrim Kaushal, and Director, UNIDO, Dr. Cristiano Pasini, formalising India’s participation in the BCIC framework, the statement said.

The National Productivity Council (NPC) has been designated as the India Centre for BRICS Industrial Competencies. Under the policy guidance of DPIIT and with technical support from UNIDO, NPC will spearhead India’s engagement with BCIC and contribute to capacity building, productivity enhancement and adoption of advanced manufacturing practices, the statement explained.

The event was presided over by Secretary, DPIIT, Amardeep Singh Bhatia, and was attended by Director General, NPC, Neerja Sekhar, along with senior officials from DPIIT, the Ministry of MSME, the Ministry of External Affairs, representatives from UNIDO, and industry partner Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the statement added.

BRICS is a major intergovernmental organisation and geopolitical bloc representing key emerging economies—originally Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—that has now expanded to include other countries such as Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Indonesia as of 2024-2025.

It acts as a counterweight to Western-led global institutions, with members focusing on enhancing economic cooperation, trade, and political influence, representing over 40 per cent of the world's population. India joined BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) when the group was constituted as a formal organisation in 2006, with its first summit being held in 2009. The organisation then became BRICS with the addition of South Africa in 2010.