Common standardisation framework will be win-win for all: Pralhad Joshi as India hosts 5th BRICS NSBs meeting

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 16 (ANI): Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi on Thursday said that the finalisation and signing of long-pending BRICS Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of standardisation would be "mutually beneficial" and "a win-win for all", as India hosted the 5th Meeting of Heads of BRICS National Standardization Bodies (NSBs) in Bengaluru under its BRICS Chairship 2026.
India is hosting the two-day meeting on July 16-17, bringing together heads of National Standardization Bodies (NSBs) from the 11 BRICS member countries to strengthen cooperation in standardisation.
"As you know, the heads of the National Standardization Bodies from the 11 BRICS member countries have gathered in Bengaluru for the 5th BRICS Heads of National Standards Bodies meeting, and India is chairing this meeting," Joshi said while inaugurating the event.
He said BRICS brings together eleven member countries--Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
"The aim of this meeting is to strengthen cooperation in standardization," he said.
Highlighting India's progress in standardization, the minister said, "In the last 12 years, India has significantly increased its standards. Today, our standards have reached 23,300, and more are being added. Very soon, we will have around 25,000 standards in the country. This is the highest ever, and it reflects very rapid growth over the last 12 years."
Joshi said India has also aligned the vast majority of its standards with international benchmarks.
"There is also strong cooperation in standardization among BRICS members. Almost 98 per cent of our standards are now aligned with global standards. This means that whatever standards we prescribe are accepted in almost all major countries. That is what I mean by synchronization," he said.
He noted that the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has led India's standardization activities for nearly eight decades and was formally declared the country's National Standards Body through an Act of Parliament in 2016.
The minister said BRICS today represents "49.5 per cent of the world's population, around 40 per cent of global GDP, and about 26 per cent of global trade," describing it as "a very strong gathering of like-minded countries."
Referring to India's BRICS Chairship, Joshi said, "This year's theme is guided by a people-centric and humanity-first approach, as articulated by Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at the 2025 Rio Summit. The theme for this meeting is: 'Building for Resilience: Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability.'"
He added that BRICS cooperation now extends beyond economic issues to include "counter-terrorism, climate change, food and energy security, finance, trade, WTO reforms, agriculture, labour, and digital technology."
Highlighting the key outcome expected from the Bengaluru meeting, Joshi said, "One of the most significant outcomes we expect from this meeting is the finalization and signing of the BRICS MOU on cooperation in the field of standardization. This MOU has been pending for several years. Its finalization will be mutually beneficial--a win-win for all."
Congratulating BIS Director General Sanjay Garg and officials involved in the negotiations, he said, "I congratulate Secretary Shri Sanjay Garg and the Director General for their continuous persuasion. Because of their efforts, we have now finalized the MOU with all BRICS countries, and it will be signed today. This is a major achievement of this summit being held in Bengaluru."
According to Joshi, the MoU will establish a formal framework for cooperation among the National Standards Bodies of BRICS countries and promote information sharing, exchange of best practices, technical collaboration and capacity building.
The inaugural session also featured a welcome address by BIS Director General Sanjay Garg and a keynote address by Department of Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare. During the two-day meeting, BIS will also present its work on India's standardization initiatives. (ANI)