PM roots for Brics expansion
Deccan ChronicleNew Delhi: India "fully supports the expansion of the Brics membership and welcomes moving forward with consensus on this", Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced at the open plenary session of the 15th Brics summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Wednesday evening. Speaking at the plenary session of the Brics summit, just hours before India’s Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission succeeded, the Prime Minister mooted "cooperation in the field of space" and suggested the creation of a Brics space exploration consortium wherein the grouping can work for the global good in areas like space research and weather monitoring. Talking about the importance of Africa in the world, Modi said that India, as the G20 grouping chair, had "proposed to give permanent membership of the G20 to the African Union" and added, "I am sure all the Brics partners are also together in the G20. Earlier, on the issue of Brics expansion at the Brics leaders’ retreat, sources said, "India took the lead in forging consensus on membership criteria and selection of new members", adding that India’s efforts were guided by the objective to incorporate India’s strategic partners as new members.