Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh launched the BRICS Sustainable Lifestyle Week 2026 on 1 November 2026 at the Khuman Lampak Sports Complex in Imphal. The week will run from 1 to 7 November 2026 to promote eco friendly habits in daily life. It connects India’s BRICS presidency in 2026 with Mission LiFE, the national call for living in harmony with nature.
What Is BRICS Sustainable Lifestyle Week 2026?
The BRICS Sustainable Lifestyle Week 2026 is a week long national campaign observed from 1 to 7 November 2026 to promote environmentally responsible living. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is the nodal ministry for the campaign. It is organised as part of India’s BRICS Chairship in 2026.
The week focuses on public outreach, citizen action and youth participation. Colleges, schools, government departments and local bodies hold awareness drives, cleanliness activities and community programmes during the seven days. The Department of Youth Affairs under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports leads youth outreach under the theme of adopting healthy lifestyles.
The campaign is supported by the MY Bharat portal and the Meri LiFE portal. Students and institutions take the Mission LiFE pledge online and upload reports of their activities. The University Grants Commission (UGC) asked all universities and colleges on 30 October 2026 to observe the week and appoint a nodal officer for reporting by 12 November 2026.
What Happened at the Imphal Launch?
Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh launched the state level programme on 1 November 2026 at the Khuman Lampak Sports Complex in Imphal. The Government of Manipur organised the event. Chief Secretary Rajeev Singh Thakur, senior officials, students and citizens attended the launch.
The Chief Minister administered an environment protection pledge to the gathering. He then joined other guests in planting saplings at the sports complex. He also flagged off a cyclothon with about 200 cyclists.
The cyclists started from Khuman Lampak and rode through Khoyathong Road, Babupara and parts of Imphal West and Imphal East before returning to the starting point. A detailed route shared by the state administration also listed North AOC, Kangla Western Gate, Keishampat, Sanjenthong and Minuthong as passing points.
In his address, the Chief Minister said Manipur is blessed with rich biodiversity, forests, rivers and wetlands. He called these natural assets a heritage that must be protected for future generations. He said protecting nature is not the duty of the government alone but the shared duty of every citizen.
He urged people, especially young people, to save water and energy, avoid single use plastics, cut waste and keep surroundings clean. He asked government departments, schools and colleges, local bodies and community groups to take active part in the week and make green habits part of daily life. Similar pledge and awareness activities were also held in Thoubal district, where officials took the Mission LiFE pledge and students joined awareness drives.
Seven Themes Observed From November 1 to 7
The MoEFCC fixed one theme for each day of the week. The seven themes reflect the core ideas of sustainable living and sustainable development. Sustainable development means meeting present needs without harming the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
| Date | Theme | Main Activities Suggested |
|---|---|---|
| 1 November | Adopt Healthy Lifestyles | Yoga, walkathon, cyclothon, tree plantation and LiFE pledge |
| 2 November | Save Energy | Switch off non essential appliances for one hour, awareness talks on efficient appliances |
| 3 November | Save Water | Repair leaking taps, promote rainwater harvesting, water awareness drives |
| 4 November | Adopt Sustainable Food Systems | Promote millets and traditional diets, cut food waste, composting |
| 5 November | Say No to Single Use Plastics | Plogging drives, use of cloth bags and reusable bottles, plastic free campus push |
| 6 November | Reduce E Waste | E waste collection with authorised recyclers, repair and reuse awareness |
| 7 November | Reduce Waste | Community clean up drives, waste to art displays, river and wetland cleaning |
Schools and colleges were asked to link these themes with existing networks such as Eco Clubs, the National Service Scheme (NSS) and the National Cadet Corps (NCC). Institutions were asked to display posters and digital boards on Mission LiFE and share photos and success stories with hashtags such as #MissionLiFE, #ProPlanetPeople and #BRICSforLiFE.
What Is Mission LiFE and the LiFE Pledge?
Mission LiFE means Lifestyle for Environment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the idea at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow on 1 November 2021. He called for mindful use of resources instead of wasteful consumption. The mission was formally launched in India in October 2022 from the Statue of Unity in Gujarat.
The mission aims to turn ordinary citizens into Pro Planet People. These are people who adopt eco friendly habits and inspire others to do the same. The mission works in three broad phases. The first phase nudges demand by changing daily habits. The second phase pushes industry to supply greener products. The third phase aims to shape long term policy for sustainable production and consumption.
Mission LiFE is built around seven action themes. These are save energy, save water, reduce waste, reduce e waste, say no to single use plastic, adopt healthy lifestyles and adopt sustainable food systems. The Mission LiFE pledge is a short public promise in which a person agrees to follow these habits and encourage others to protect nature.
The scale of the mission is large. More than 7.3 crore people have taken part in over 40 lakh LiFE events across India. More than 12 lakh Eco Clubs now work in schools under the mission. The Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam tree planting drive linked to the mission has crossed 272 crore saplings. LiFE is also listed as a qualitative goal in India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement of 2015.
What Is BRICS and Why Was It Formed?
BRICS is a group of major emerging economies and developing countries. The name comes from the first letters of the founding members. BRIC first meant Brazil, Russia, India and China. It became BRICS when South Africa joined in 2010 and attended its first summit in Sanya in 2011.
The term BRIC was first used in 2001 by economist Jim O’Neill of Goldman Sachs to describe fast growing economies. The foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, India and China met in New York in 2006 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. The first BRIC summit was held in Yekaterinburg in Russia in 2009. The group was formed to push for a fairer global order, stronger voice for the Global South, and closer cooperation on economy, development and governance.
BRICS has no permanent headquarters or secretariat. It works through annual summits, ministerial meetings and working groups. The presidency rotates every year in the order of the acronym.
Today BRICS has 11 full members. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates joined in January 2024. Indonesia joined in January 2025 as the eleventh member.
| BRICS Members in 2026 |
|---|
| Brazil |
| Russia |
| India |
| China |
| South Africa |
| Egypt |
| Ethiopia |
| Iran |
| Saudi Arabia |
| United Arab Emirates |
| Indonesia |
Ten more countries joined as Partner Countries in 2025. They are Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. Together the full members account for about 49.5 percent of world population, 40 percent of global GDP and 26 percent of global trade.
The BRICS Summit 2026 was held in India. India assumed the BRICS presidency on 1 January 2026. This is India’s fourth chairship after 2012, 2016 and 2021. The 18th BRICS Summit took place on 12 and 13 September 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The theme was Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability. The summit resolved to observe the first week of November as BRICS Sustainable Lifestyle Week.
Why the Lifestyle Week Matters for India
The week links global climate goals with daily action. India’s BRICS theme places sustainability with resilience, innovation and cooperation. The lifestyle week turns that pillar into activities that any household, school or city ward can follow.
For Manipur, the message has local value. The state has rich forests, rivers, lakes and wetlands that support farming, fishing and tourism. Pollution, plastic waste and water stress directly hurt these livelihoods. A cyclothon, a pledge and a sapling drive show that fitness, clean air and green cover grow together.
For BRICS cooperation, the week adds a people level track to summit diplomacy. Leaders discuss finance, trade and energy. Citizens practice saving power, harvesting rainwater, using millets and refusing single use plastic. This two level push helps India present itself as a voice of the Global South that acts on climate change without waiting for top down rules alone.
Key Takeaways
- BRICS Sustainable Lifestyle Week 2026 was observed from 1 to 7 November 2026 under India’s BRICS Chairship.
- Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh launched the state programme on 1 November 2026 at Khuman Lampak Sports Complex in Imphal.
- The Imphal launch featured an environment pledge, sapling planting and a cyclothon with about 200 cyclists.
- The week follows seven daily themes from Adopt Healthy Lifestyles to Reduce Waste under the nodal role of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
- The campaign draws from Mission LiFE, introduced at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, and the 18th BRICS Summit held on 12 and 13 September 2026 in New Delhi.
