Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday, 11 July 2026 highlighted a ministerial-level meeting of BRICS member countries focused on strengthening cooperation in the transport sector, sharing perspectives on cross-border connectivity, and advancing shared priorities for a more resilient and sustainable transport ecosystem.

Context

The meeting, convened under India's BRICS Chairship in 2026, brought together delegates from BRICS member countries to discuss the future of connected and sustainable transport. Gadkari noted that the gathering was aimed at building a 'more connected, resilient, and sustainable transport sector' — language that reflects the broader ambitions India has set for its chair year.

India assumed the BRICS Chairship in 2026, making it the host nation for a full calendar of summits and sectoral ministerial meetings. Transport has emerged as one of the key tracks in this engagement, sitting alongside finance, trade, and digital cooperation.

Policy Backdrop

BRICS — the grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, expanded with new members in 2024 — has maintained a working group on transport since the 2015 Ufa Summit, which periodically convenes to align member nations on sustainable infrastructure frameworks. India previously hosted a BRICS transport ministers' meeting during its 2021 summit, focusing on connectivity and digital logistics.

Domestically, Gadkari's ministry has anchored India's infrastructure push through flagship programmes such as Bharatmala and the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, which together aim to build multimodal logistics networks spanning roads, ports, and rail. BRICS platforms have become a key diplomatic channel for India to internationalise this connectivity vision and seek alignment with partner nations on cross-border infrastructure standards.

Since 2014, Gadkari has overseen a significant expansion of the National Highways network, and his ministry has increasingly positioned Indian road and logistics policy within multilateral frameworks to attract investment and technical cooperation.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary stakeholders in this engagement are the transport ministries of BRICS member nations and the broader logistics and infrastructure industry that operates across these economies. A coordinated BRICS approach to transport can open corridors for cross-border freight, harmonise vehicle and safety standards, and unlock financing for shared infrastructure projects.

For India, the gains are both strategic and economic — closer transport linkages with BRICS partners support trade diversification, reduce logistics costs, and reinforce India's positioning as a connectivity hub in the Indo-Pacific and Eurasian corridors. The logistics industry, port operators, and highway developers stand to benefit from any formal cooperation frameworks that emerge from such ministerial exchanges.

What's Next

With India holding the BRICS Chair through 2026, observers will watch closely for the adoption of a formal BRICS Transport Connectivity Action Plan — a document that could set binding or aspirational targets for member nations on sustainable infrastructure, digital freight systems, and cross-border road and rail linkages. The outcomes of this ministerial meeting are expected to feed into the broader BRICS summit agenda later in the year.

As chair, India has the opportunity to shape the multilateral transport agenda in ways that complement its domestic infrastructure priorities, potentially locking in long-term cooperation frameworks that outlast the chair year itself.