New Delhi, July 21: The foreign office will later this month organise the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) policy planning dialogue in Patna as part of efforts to take international events outside the country's capital.

Teams of diplomats from the five countries will meet in Patna on July 25-26 for the dialogue expected to deepen co-operation between the nations on collective initiatives they can take on global challenges, the foreign office said.

"This shall be the first time that the ministry of external affairs will host an official foreign policy-related engagement in Patna," the foreign ministry said in a statement today.

India is the current chair of BRICS - a grouping of emerging economies that strives to use its collective clout to seek reforms in international organisations and challenge the Bretton Woods financial institutions.

The BRICS summit - where the leaders from the five countries will meet - is scheduled for October in Goa.

The policy planning dialogue in Patna is expected to yield the agenda for the October meet when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Jacob Zuma and Brazilian President Michael Temer.

But the meet will also focus on the economic challenges Brazil, South Africa and Russia are facing.

"The BRICS policy planning dialogue will provide an opportunity for exchanges on strategic assessments of international situation and the regional situation of each country and trends therein," the foreign ministry statement said.

Santosh Jha, joint secretary in charge of policy planning in the foreign office, will lead the Indian team. His counterparts Michel Arslanian Neto from Brazil, Oleg Stepanov from Russia, Wang Wenbin from China and David Malcolmson from South Africa will head the other teams.