BRICS FM meeting in South Africa

GS Paper - 2 (International Relations)

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is in Cape Town, South Africa, to attend a meeting of the foreign ministers of BRICS — a grouping comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, which is seen as the closest that the ‘Global South’ has come to organising itself as a collective to challenge a western global narrative. The foreign ministers’ meeting will finalise the agenda for the 15th BRICS summit scheduled to be held in South Africa in August. Two items on the agenda are attracting notice for their potential for a greater geopolitical consolidation of the grouping: a plan to expand the membership of BRICS, and a common currency.

Looking for multipolarity

1. As many as 19 countries are said to be in the queue to join BRICS. Among the countries that have been mentioned frequently since last year: Argentina, Nicaragua, Mexico, Uruguay, Venezuela from Latin America; Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, Senegal, Morocco from Africa; Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Türkiye, Syria, Iran from West Asia; Kazakhstan from Central Asia; Bangladesh and Afghanistan from South Asia; and Indonesia and Thailand from South-east Asia.
2. It is not clear which countries might be admitted, but any expansion can be seen as strengthening the group’s heft as a spokesperson of the developing world.
3. By admitting some key countries in the list, BRICS could lay claim to representing more than half the world’s population. Significantly, the list includes big oil producers Saudi, Iran, the UAE, Nigeria, and Venezuela.
4. BRICS is driven by two basic impulses: “First, there is considerable anti-US sentiment in the world, and all these countries are looking for a grouping where they can use that sentiment to gather together.
5. Second, there is a lot of appetite for multipolarity, for a platform where countries of the Global South can express their solidarity.”

China in BRICS

1. The idea of BRICS came between 2001 and 2003 from then Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim O’Neill, who projected that the four emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, India, and China would be the future economic powerhouses of the world, with South Africa being added later.
2. While the economic performance of BRICS has been mixed, the war in Ukraine — which has brought the West together on the one hand and strengthened the China-Russia partnership on the other — has turned it into an aspiring bloc that appears to be challenging the western geopolitical view.
3. China is driving the expansion of the group. After a meeting of BRICS officials in February, China’s foreign office said “membership expansion has become part of the core agenda of BRICS”, but sought to dispel the impression that this was intended to create a bloc.

India in BRICS

1. If India’s presence at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi also participated in an informal Quad summit, was seen as a sign of New Delhi’s US tilt, the importance it attaches to the “anti-West” BRICS is an apparent contradiction — much like the several others it has negotiated through the last year.
2. India should not be seen as ganging up with an anti-West coalition. “A lot of countries are misunderstanding this.
3. India is also part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), and despite problems, it has relations with Russia, with China.
4. While China does want BRICS to be an anti-western group, the Indian view is that it is a “non-western” group and should stay that way, he said.

Cause behind Balasore train accident

GS Paper - 2 (Infrastructure)

Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the tragic train accident in Balasore, Odisha, was caused by a "change in electronic interlocking." Electronic interlocking is a safety system that prevents conflicting movements between trains by controlling signals and tracks.

What is 'Electronic Interlocking?'

1. Electronic interlocking is a sophisticated system of signal apparatus designed to prevent conflicting movements between trains by effectively managing the arrangement of tracks.
2. Its primary purpose is to ensure the safety of train operations by preventing signals from being changed in an improper sequence.
3. The fundamental objective of this system is to withhold the signal for a train to proceed unless the route has been thoroughly verified as safe.
4. By employing electronic interlocking, the risk of potential accidents and collisions is significantly reduced, enhancing the overall safety and efficiency of railway operations.
5. This system utilises electronic control systems and computers to monitor and control the movement of trains.
6. It replaces traditional mechanical interlocking systems that used physical levers and rods to control signals and switches.
7. Electronic interlocking offers several advantages, including increased reliability, faster response times, and improved flexibility in managing train movements.
8. The electronic interlocking system uses sensors and feedback devices to detect the presence and location of trains on the tracks.
9. It integrates with various other systems, such as train detection systems, signals, points (switches), and track circuits, to ensure the safe operation of trains.
10. The system preventsconflicting routes or movements by coordinating the signals and switches based on the current and intended positions of trains.

Indian Navy successfully carries out underwater test

GS Paper - 3 (Defence Technology)

The Indian Navy on 6 June 2023 successfully carried out a test to hit an underwater target. The successful engagement of an underwater target by an indigenously developed Heavy Weight Torpedo was a significant milestone in the Indian Navy's and Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) quest for accurate delivery of ordnance on target in the underwater domain.

What

1. This showcases commitment to Future Proof Combat Readiness, this is the second sea-level test in a fortnight. Last month, the Navy tested an advanced missile from the destroyer INS 'Mormugao'.
2. The missile, known as 'Sea Skimming', hit the target floating in the sea from below.
3. According to the Indian Navy, the missile is capable of hitting its target up to a distance of 300 km.
4. In another indigenous move just a week ago, India carried out a successful training launch of Medium-Range Ballistic Missile, Agni-1 from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha.
5. The Defence Ministry informed that the missile was capable of striking targets with a very high degree of precision.
6. The training launch successfully validated all operational and technical parameters of the missile.
7. According to the Ministry, the DRDO is working on a Technology Transfer Policy under which successfully tested products were being transferred to Indian industries for mass production by signing a Licensing Agreement for Transfer of Technology. Till now, the DRDO has signed 670 such agreements.