On February 19, 2021 External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar launched India’s BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa)2021 website(https://brics2021.gov.in/about-brics.html) at the BRICS Secretariat at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, Delhi.
In addition to this, he also soft launched the upgraded facilities at Sushma Swaraj Bhavan that will serve as the Secretariat for BRICS Summit.
Points to be Noted
i.India assumed the presidency of BRICS for 2021. Russia was the chair of BRICS for 2020.
ii.BRICS celebrates its 15th anniversary under the theme ‘Intra-BRICS Cooperation’.
About the Website
i.It will maintain an updated and dynamic information repository.
ii.It provides a detailed snapshot of the strong BRICS engagement and the calendar of events during BRICS under the leadership of India.
iii.This includes information related to BRICS including documents, press releases and media gallery and registration platform for the events throughout the year.
Highlights of BRICS
On the basis of 2019 World Bank data:
- BRICS comprises 41% of world population with 3.14 billion people
- It have total combined area of 29.3% of the total land surface of the world
- It accounts 24% of global GDP and 16% of world trade
About Sushma Swaraj Bhavan:
i.In February 2020, The Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, a cultural centre reflecting India’s connect with its diaspora, was renamed as Sushma Swaraj Bhavan in honour of Sushma Swaraj the late External Affairs Minister.
ii.The Foreign Service Institute, a renowned institution where diplomats are trained, was also renamed as Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service.
Recent Related News:
On October 20, 2020, Union Minister for Science & Technology, Harsh Vardhan launched ‘CuRED’ or ‘CSIR Ushered Repurposed Drugs’ (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-CSIR) a website for providing information on Repurposed Drugs for COVID-19.
