External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is scheduled to visit Ukraine and Poland on September 3-5, ahead of BRICS, with the visits focused on bilateral ties and regional developments.

Diplomatic engagements ahead of BRICS

The back-to-back visits to Ukraine and Poland mark a significant diplomatic outreach by India in the lead-up to the BRICS summit. The engagements are centred on strengthening bilateral relations and addressing regional developments, according to reports.

India in talks on critical minerals and high-tech manufacturing

Separately, India is in discussions with the United Kingdom and the European Union on critical minerals. A Bureau of Indian Standards exemption is also being planned to ease high-tech manufacturing, signalling efforts to streamline regulatory frameworks in this sector.

India plans to exempt advanced-technology companies, including semiconductor manufacturers, from mandatory quality certification under the Bureau of Indian Standards. This regulatory shift aims to ease global component sourcing for the sector.

Policy shift for high-tech sectors

The move to carve out high-technology industries such as semiconductors from government-mandated standards reflects a distinct approach to regulating sectors where technical complexity and rapid innovation are defining characteristics. By stepping back from prescribing standards in these areas, the policy signals an intent to allow industry-driven or internationally aligned norms to govern such sectors instead.

Semiconductors represent one of the most strategically significant industries globally, and India has been actively working to build domestic capacity in chip design and manufacturing. The exclusion from government-set standards could reduce compliance friction for companies operating or planning to invest in this space.

Implications for industry stakeholders

The policy direction carries potential consequences for a range of participants in India's technology ecosystem:

• High-tech manufacturers, including those in the semiconductor segment, may face a different regulatory environment compared to other industries subject to government-prescribed quality norms.
• Companies could align with international or industry-developed standards rather than domestically mandated ones.
• The approach may influence investment decisions by global chipmakers and technology firms evaluating India as a production or sourcing destination.

The broader scope of industries covered under this exclusion, beyond semiconductors, has not been detailed in the available information.