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JOINT HADR EXERCISE CONCLUDES

The annual Joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise which commenced on 18 May 2017 concluded today with the delegates sharing their experience and re-iterating the need for co-ordination among all agencies. The exercise was conducted by the Indian Navy at Karwar from 18-20 May 2017, under the aegis of the Western Naval Command and Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff and Integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence (Navy) at New Delhi.  The exercise, code-named "KARAVALI KARUNYA" meaning ‘Assistance to Coast of Karnataka’, was aimed at validating the response of agencies in Tsunami scenario.

During the Closing Ceremony, Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command appreciated the progress made in crises management within the armed forces which he has been witnessing during his career as a Naval Officer. He specifically highlighted the improvements in the preparedness and coordination in disaster relief since 2005 after Disaster Management Act 2005 was enacted and National Disaster Management Authority and National Disaster Response Force were constituted. While the exercise has come a long way since the first exercise was conduted in 2015, he suggested some improvements in the scope and conduct of the exercise in the future.

Lieutenant General Satish Dua, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC), complimented all participants for their contribution during the exercise and the Flag Officer Karnataka Naval Area in particular for excellent coordination and smooth conduct of the exercise.

Delegates from National Disaster Management Authority, State and District Administration, National Disaster Response Force and Foreign Observers shared their feedback and lessons learnt in the course of the exercise. Delegates from Mayanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives thanked the Government of India and Indian Navy for the opportunity to witness this exercise. Captain Bari from Bangladesh Navy apprised the audience regarding an International Joint HADR exercise to be held at Chittagong as a part of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium.  

The exercise had witnessed Civil-Military disaster relief efforts post a natural disaster. In addition to the three Defence Services and Coast Guard, teams from Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs, National Disaster Management Authority, National Disaster Response Force, State Executive Committee (SEC), Office of Commissioner of Relief, District Disaster Management Authority, Red Cross, National Institute of Disaster Management, NGOs, representatives of Local Municipality, Police, Medical, Fire and emergency services and NCC Karwar participated in the Exercise.

Mumbai May.19: Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief

Mumbai May 19 :- Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command  inspected a Command parade at INS Shikra yesterday. Addressing around 950 personnel on parade, Vice Admiral Girish Luthra stressed on the need for a high degree of operational and combat readiness and vigilance on all fronts.

The CinC complimented all personnel of the Command for ensuring all deployments and taskings were undertaken in a professional manner. He highlighted that in keeping with the high tempo of operations; overseas deployments, surveillance and patrolling missions, and successful missile firings have helped assess the Command’s capabilities and focus on areas that require continued emphasis.

The C-in-C also touched upon the need for discipline and gender sensitisation amongst personnel and that growth and development can only be ensured by synergistic team effort. He also highlighted the need for renewed focus on Safety, physical and information security, and continued support to frontline units of the Command.