BRICS Logo was selected through an open contest.
Government today said the BRICS logo during India's Chairmanship of the five-nation grouping is the country's national flower, lotus, with a middle portion depicting the 'Namaste', and was selected through an open contest.
In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh said the BRICS Logo was selected through an open contest launched by the Ministry of External Affairs on Portal www.mygov.in, which is Government of India's Citizen Engagement Platform.
Mr Singh added that the entry of Sudeep Subhash Gandhi was finally selected which described the Logo as - "As India is the host of 8th BRICS summit, we have incorporated the Indian salutation 'Namaste; in the centre. Namaste is the gesture of welcoming and respecting someone on arrival. The overall logo depicts the national flower of India 'Lotus'.
"The perception of the countrymen and the world towards India has changed in the last 1.5 years. As Lotus is the symbol of prosperity and India is heading in the same direction, we have designed Lotus with the colours signifying BRICS members and their unity."
Ahead of the BRICS Summit in Goa in October, the Congress and the AAP had expressed objection to the logo of the event, saying it looks like the party symbol of BJP and was "improper".