India supports BRICS expansion: PM Modi

India fully supports the expansion of the BRICS and welcomes moving forward on it with consensus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday even as he presented five suggestions to further broaden cooperation among the members of the grouping in a range of areas, including space exploration.

In his various interventions at the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) summit, Modi urged the grouping to send a global message of unity and not polarisation, and called for setting defined timelines for reform of the UN Security Council, according to officials.

The Prime Minister also pitched for reform of various multilateral financial institutions, the World Trade Organisation and proposed creation of a BRICS space exploration consortium. In his televised address at a plenary session of the summit, Modi said the technology will play an important role in making the grouping a "future-ready" organisation, and offered India's readiness to share expertise in the digital domain.

The Prime Minister also floated a new definition of BRICS -- Breaking barriers, Revitalising economies, Inspiring Innovation, Creating opportunities, and Shaping the future. "India fully supports the expansion of the BRICS membership. And welcomes moving forward with consensus in this," Modi said.

The expansion of BRICS is a major focus area at the annual summit of the grouping as around 23 countries including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Argentina have applied for the membership. Chinese President Xi Jinping, who spoke after Modi at the plenary, called for speedy expansion of BRICS to make global governance more equitable.