Loading…
The BRICS Tourism Ministers' Meeting under India's Chairship concluded in Jaipur on 21 August 2026 with the adoption by consensus of the BRICS Tourism Ministers' Communique 2026, known as the Jaipur Declaration.
The same day saw the 12th BRICS Communications Ministers' Meeting in Pune and the 14th BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation Ministerial Meeting in Chennai, with the Youth and Sports Ministers' Meetings set for Visakhapatnam on 22 and 23 August.
India and Brazil signed a Memorandum of Understanding on telecommunications and ICT cooperation on the sidelines of the BRICS ICT Track meeting in Pune.
India's BRICS Chairship 2026 runs under the theme 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability'.
Eleven countries are now full BRICS members; the tourism meeting itself saw participation from nine member states.
Plurilateral grouping of major emerging economies. It began as BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China), held its first formal summit at Yekaterinburg in 2009, and became BRICS when South Africa joined in 2010. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates joined as full members from 1 January 2024, and Indonesia became a full member in January 2025, taking membership to 11. A separate category of partner countries was created in 2025.
The BRICS development bank for infrastructure and sustainable development projects. The agreement establishing it was signed at the Fortaleza Summit on 15 July 2014, with an initial authorised capital of US$100 billion and initial subscribed capital of US$50 billion shared equally among the founding members; membership is open to UN members.
A currency-swap safety net of US$100 billion agreed at the same 2014 Fortaleza Summit, to help members facing short-term balance of payments pressure
The grouping's institutional platform for future network technologies; its Council met as part of the preparatory meetings for the 12th Communications Ministers' Meeting
Hosted and chaired the BRICS Tourism Ministers' Meeting; represented by Secretary Shri Bhuvnesh Kumar and Joint Secretary Shri Harikishore S.
Build India's capability in quantum computing, communication, sensing and materials
Key: Cited by the Minister of State for Science and Technology at the BRICS STI Ministerial as part of India's frontier-technology push
Create indigenous high-performance computing capacity and the associated skills base
Key: Presented as evidence of India's research-infrastructure offer to BRICS partners
Promote biotechnology for economy, environment and employment
Key: Named among the initiatives that show an innovation approach oriented to societal outcomes
Liberalise and expand the use of geospatial data and services
Key: Cited alongside India's Digital Public Infrastructure ecosystem in the STI ministerial address
First formal BRIC summit at Yekaterinburg, Russia
South Africa joins; the grouping becomes BRICS
Fortaleza Summit - agreement establishing the New Development Bank signed and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement launched
Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates become full members
Kazan Declaration adopted at the 16th BRICS Summit hosted by Russia
Indonesia becomes the eleventh full member
17th BRICS Summit held at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
India assumes the BRICS Chairship, its first over the expanded grouping
Jaipur Declaration adopted by BRICS Tourism Ministers; Communications ministerial at Pune and STI ministerial at Chennai held the same day
The STI ministerial framed BRICS cooperation as serving the developmental aspirations of the Global South - the same framing India uses at the G20 and in the Voice of Global South Summits.
A dedicated BRICS Focus Group on DPI met during the ICT Track, extending India's DPI export agenda from the G20 into BRICS.
Delegates were taken to Hawa Mahal, City Palace and Amber Fort in Jaipur on 22 August - Amber Fort forms part of the Hill Forts of Rajasthan inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and Jaipur's walled city is itself a World Heritage Site.
The telecom MoU adds a digital pillar to an existing partnership that already spans defence, ethanol and agriculture, and both countries are also IBSA and G20 partners.
GS Paper 2 > International Relations > Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India
General Awareness > Current Affairs > International Organisations and Summits
General Awareness > International Financial Institutions and Groupings
General Awareness > Current Affairs
Consider the following pairs: I. Woman Farmer : 2026 II. Sustainable Tourism : 2027 III. Peace and Trust : 2025 IV. Asteroid : 2029 How many... correctly matched?
Answer: All the four
BRICS membership, the New Development Bank and summit declarations recur nearly every year in UPSC Prelims and in banking general awareness.
The BRICS Tourism Ministers' Communique 2026, adopted by consensus at Jaipur on 21 August 2026 under India's Chairship.
A US$100 billion BRICS currency-swap framework agreed at the 2014 Fortaleza Summit to support members under short-term balance of payments pressure.
Open Radio Access Network - an approach that lets telecom operators mix equipment from different vendors, named as a cooperation area in the India-Brazil ICT MoU.
Communication networks that use satellites or high-altitude platforms rather than ground-based towers; covered in the India-Brazil MoU alongside LEO satellites.