Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) has welcomed the appointment of the new Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) Business Council and congratulated the members and new chairperson, Busi Mabuza. The Council members, who were nominated through BUSA and the Black Business Council (BBC), come from diverse sectors and seeks to optimise opportunities for South African business within BRICS. According to BUSA, the combination of the individuals in the Council bodes well.

The BRICS Business Council is designed to play a facilitative role for South African business. The Council has indicated that it will bolster its working committees, which BUSA looks forward to, particularly on the energy and the green economy, skills, agriculture and manufacturing, where business can share opportunities and learnings within BRICS. The mid-term meeting of the Business Council is scheduled to place in early April 2019 in Johannesburg.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov is expected to arrive in Brazil for a visit on Monday to hold talks with his Brazilian counterpart and later attend a sherpa meeting of the BRICS emerging economies. According to a Sputnik diplomatic source, the crisis in neighboring Venezuela may become one of the topics of Rybkov's talks with the deputy foreign minister of Brazil a country that, unlike Russia, recognized US-backed self-proclaimed president of Venezuela Juan Guaido. Monday's talks in Brasilia are expected to be followed by a meeting of Sherpas of BRICS countries in the Southern Brazilian city of Curitiba on March 14-15.

Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Minister Mahinder Singh said the state government would spend Rs. 12 crore on water supply schemes in the Jawali Assembly constituency this year. Addressing public meetings at Khabbal and Paphan in Jawali after dedicating two lift water supply schemes and laying the foundation stone of a water augmentation scheme in the area, the minister said the IPH Department had been directed to submit Rs50-crore detailed project report of Sidhatha irrigation project. He also laid the foundation stone of Rs1.15 crore Balah Kotla lift water supply scheme which would benefit 3,000 residents of the area. The IPH Minister said the Central Government had approved Rs800-crore project for the improvement and expansion of drinking water supply schemes launched before 2000. He said Rs3,330-crore irrigation project under BRICS funding had been sanctioned for the state and the state government has spent Rs. 62 crore in the Nurpur area in the first phase of the project.