Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy hosted a banquet for the ministerial delegations of BRICS nations attending the 12th BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers' Meeting at the iconic Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad on Wednesday, 15 July 2026. The dinner, organised by the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment, brought together senior officials from eight nations under one roof in the heart of the city.

Context

The Chief Minister's Office confirmed that CM Revanth Reddy personally greeted ministers from South Africa, Indonesia, China, Russia, Iran, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, and Brazil at the banquet. The gesture underscored Telangana's role as a host state for a high-profile multilateral engagement during India's 2026 BRICS Chairmanship.

The dinner was convened on the sidelines of the ministerial conference, with Falaknuma Palace — a 19th-century landmark now operated as a luxury hotel — providing the ceremonial setting. The venue has historically been used for state-level diplomatic hospitality in Hyderabad.

Policy Backdrop

Union Minister of Labour and Employment Mansukh Mandaviya and Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje were the central hosts from the Central Government side. Telangana's state ministers Vivek Venkataswamy, Jupally Krishna Rao, and Vakiti Srihari also attended, reflecting a coordinated Centre-state presence at the event.

BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers have convened annually since at least 2015, with discussions typically centred on skills recognition, social security portability, and formal employment frameworks. India's 2026 chairmanship has used such sectoral meetings to demonstrate the expanded grouping's practical cooperation agenda, following the 2024 membership enlargement that brought in Ethiopia, Iran, UAE, and others.

Stakeholders and Impact

DGP C.V. Anand and other senior Telangana officials were also present at the banquet, signalling the state administration's active involvement in facilitating the event. The gathering brought together labour policy representatives from nations that collectively account for a significant share of the world's formal and informal workforce.

For Hyderabad, hosting the 12th edition of this ministerial series reinforces its standing as a preferred destination for international summits. The city has previously hosted BRICS-related engagements, and its infrastructure — including heritage venues such as Falaknuma — has been central to that positioning.

What's Next

The ministerial conference is expected to produce a final declaration covering areas such as social security agreements, cross-border skills recognition, and labour market cooperation among BRICS member states. Any commitments made at the Hyderabad meeting are likely to feed into the broader agenda ahead of the BRICS leaders' summit later in the year.

The participation of both Central and state ministers at the banquet signals that follow-up on employment and skilling initiatives could involve state-level implementation frameworks, with Telangana potentially positioned to pilot some of the agreed measures.