Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BRICS leaders have discussed major global developments and leveraging the five-member bloc's platform to find solutions to global challenges during a key meeting here.

Modi arrived here on Tuesday on a three-day visit to South Africa and Greece. In South Africa, he will attend the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg from August 22-24 at the invitation of the country's President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa.

This is the first in-person BRICS Summit after three consecutive years of virtual meetings because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The BRICS bloc - comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - brings together five of the largest developing countries of the world, representing 41 per cent of the global population, 24 per cent of the global GDP and 16 per cent of the global trade.

Over 20 heads of state from Africa and the Middle East have also been invited to attend. A number of them have applied to become members of BRICS, which is one of the matters on the agenda for the Summit.

On Tuesday, he attended the BRICS Leaders Retreat.

"Reinforcing the intra-BRICS bonds! PM @narendramodi arrives at the Summer Place to participate in the BRICS Leaders Retreat. Warmly greeted by the host, President @CyrilRamaphosa of South Africa," Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Arindam Bagchi said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

"PM, along with other BRICS leaders will deliberate on global developments and leveraging the BRICS platform to find solutions to global challenges," he said.

The Prime Minister also shared some pictures with other BRICS leaders on platform X.

Earlier, the prime minister spoke at the BRICS Business Forum Leaders' Dialogue.

Modi highlighted that "mission-mode" reforms have improved the ease of doing business in India and invited businesses to be part of the country's development journey.

He said India will soon become a USD 5 trillion economy and is poised to become the growth engine of the world in the coming years.

While mentioning the strides made by India on the digital payments front, Modi said there are many possibilities for using the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for BRICS.

He also said that Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) together can contribute significantly to global welfare, particularly in the Global South.

"BRICS Business Forum gave me an opportunity to highlight India's growth trajectory and the steps taken to boost 'Ease of Doing Business' and public service delivery. Also emphasised on India's strides in digital payments, infrastructure creation, the world of StartUps and more.

"India believes in ‘Make in India, Make for the World.’ Over the last few years, we have made immense strides in IT, semiconductors and other such futuristic sectors. Our economic vision also places immense importance on the empowerment of women," Modi posted on X.

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