New Delhi, Sept. 14 -- India on Sunday flagged concerns over the "weaponisation" of technology and critical minerals at the Brics Summit, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling for greater cooperation within the grouping to develop solutions that can be extended to countries of the Global South to foster inclusive global growth. Modi did not name any countries while making these remarks at the outreach session of the summit, attended by leaders of the 10 member states and as many partner countries, though his comments appeared to be aimed at China, whose restrictions on exports of both rare earths and critical hi-tech equipment in recent years have impacted India. The concluding session of the two-day Brics Summit hosted by India was focused on the theme of "Resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability: Shaping the future for inclusive global growth", and Modi emphasised that the strength of Brics lies in its diversity and cooperation. "The weaponisation of technology and critical minerals can hinder our shared progress. Therefore, we have emphasised inclusivity in the adoption of technology," he said, speaking in Hindi. Brics members are "rooted in different realities", but can rise together through cooperation, he noted. At the same time, solutions developed by Brics should be made adaptable and accessible to meet the needs of the Global South because the bloc has promoted inclusive global growth. Against the backdrop of India positioning itself as the voice of the Global South, Modi said the confidence of developing countries in Brics has grown because their views are heard within the grouping, their experiences are respected and "solutions are developed not for them, but together with them". The increasing resilience of Brics member states is important to navigate the fractious geopolitical environment and India's presidency of the grouping focused on the four pillars of resilience, innovation, cooperation, and sustainability, Modi said. The support of the Brics member states has helped translate a shared vision into win-win cooperation, he said. "Today, the number of conflicts and tensions in the world is continuously increasing and this is having an increasingly negative and far-reaching impact on the lives of ordinary people," Modi said. "Pandemics, climate disasters and supply chain disruptions have shown that in today's interconnected world, no crisis remains confined to a single region. Therefore, within the Brics group, we have placed special emphasis on strengthening resilience." Modi also called for identifying challenges in time and taking prompt action in order to strengthen resilience within the grouping. "With this approach, we have agreed on a Brics Integrated Early Warning System for the prevention of and response to infectious diseases. Early Warning Data Integration Guidelines have been prepared for disaster management. The BRICS Logistics Supply Chain Cooperation Framework will help make our supply chains more reliable and resilient," he said. Under the pillar of innovation, the Brics Incubator Network will connect startups and incubators and the Brics Startup Innovation Fund has been proposed to promote innovative and scalable solutions. The Brics Network on Digital Agriculture will create new opportunities for farmers by connecting AI, geospatial technology and digital public infrastructure to their real needs. India has also focused on ensuring that Brics cooperation doesn't remain limited to governments. Through the Brics Connect initiative, it promoted employability, women in the workforce and social security, while the Brics MSME Cooperation Portal helped connect small enterprises with knowledge, finance and new markets. The Brics Urban Mobility Hub is facilitating the sharing of best practices among cities. In the context of sustainability, the Brics Digital Centre of Excellence was established for smart grids and to make clean energy systems more reliable and efficient. The Centres of Excellence for Agro-Ecology and Regenerative Agriculture have helped connect traditional knowledge with modern science, Modi said. At the conclusion of the session, Modi emphasised that Brics was not just a grouping of countries but an "eco-system of solutions" and the New Delhi Declaration adopted on Saturday will give clear direction to the bloc's shared vision and future cooperation. "With Brics entering its third decade, the world expects not just ideas and commitments but concrete results from us," he said, while conveying his support to China for hosting next year's Brics Summit. The BJP on Sunday slammed the Congress over criticism of the all-vegetarian food served at the BRICS summit gala dinner, saying the opposition party is "sulking" as India has emerged as a global consensus builder and is taking the mentality of a "naraz fufa" to the international stage. Sharing a screenshot of the menu served at the dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for BRICS leaders and delegates at Bharat Mandapam on Saturday, Congress MP Pawan Khera said the BJP has taken its habit of imposing its dietary preferences a step further by doing so with dignitaries from across the world. Gandhi, in posts on social media platforms X, Facebook and Instagram, said 80 per cent of Indians are non-vegetarians, and that Indian non-vegetarian food is as delicious as his sister's chole bhature. He also posted a picture of chole bhature on a dining table, but made no direct reference to the BRICS dinner. Reacting to Gandhi's criticism, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said, "When the opposition has nothing except the food menu to criticise about the summit, it tells you how successful BRICS has been.""Congress is sulking to see India emerge as a global consensus builder," he wrote on X. Another BJP national spokesperson, Tuhin Sinha, alleged that Gandhi's "petty and frivolous" remarks reflect his mentality as well as that of the Congress party. "If there were any responsible or sensible Leader of Opposition in the country, he would have congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India today. What India has achieved through the New Delhi Resolution is historic," Sinha said....