Jaipur, Aug 12 (IANS) Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is in Jaipur to attend the two-day meeting of BRICS finance ministers and central bank governors, being held under India’s BRICS presidency.  The two-day meeting will begin at 11:15 a.m. on Wednesday at Hotel Rambagh in the state capital with finance ministers and central bank governors from the 11 BRICS member countries deliberating on key economic and financial issues.RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra also arrived in Jaipur late Tuesday night.FM Sitharaman and Malhotra are scheduled to address the inaugural session, which will focus on financial and central banking issues of importance to BRICS economies.FM Sitharaman was welcomed in Jaipur on her arrival late Tuesday night by Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari and Chief Secretary V. Srinivas. BJP state president Madan Rathore was also present. The two-day meeting will discuss several issues related to the economic and financial interests of BRICS nations, including economic growth, financial liberalisation and risk management. The meeting is scheduled to conclude at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday.

As part of the programme, representatives of BRICS nations will visit City Palace, Jaipur, at 5 p.m., where a special cultural programme showcasing Rajasthan’s rich heritage has been organised for the delegates. This is the second time that the annual meeting of BRICS finance ministers and central bank governors is being held in Jaipur.The annual gathering was established 18 years ago amid the global financial crisis and has since emerged as an important platform for discussions on global economic and financial challenges.Jaipur previously hosted the meeting in 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Discussions at that time focused on economic recovery, vaccination, policy support, digital health, social infrastructure and financial inclusion. Representatives of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa also discussed the implications of the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism during the 2021 deliberations.The current meeting comes as India holds the BRICS presidency, with participating countries expected to deliberate on strengthening economic cooperation and addressing emerging challenges facing the global economy.

/IANS