The Indian Air force (IAF) is set to conduct the annual joint humanitarian and disaster relief exercise (HADR), called Samanvay 2022.
Announced by the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD), the latest iteration of Samanvay will be held at Air Force Station Agra, India, between 28 and 30 November.
It will involve the participation of stakeholders from various organisations across the country, along with representatives from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member nations.
Apart from the Indian Armed Forces, the exercise will see the participation of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, the National Disaster Management Authority, the National Institute of Disaster Management and the National Disaster Response Force.
Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, India Meteorological Department, Border Roads Organisation and other Civil Administration units will also take part in the drills.
According to the Indian MoD, the exercise will assess and hone the efficiency of contingency measures and institutional disaster management structures.
The exercise will provide a platform for the participants to exchange domain knowledge, practices and expertise with each other.
As part of this three-day engagement, the IAF will hold a seminar on disaster management, called ‘multi-agency exercise’, which will involve static and flying representations of the country’s several HADR air assets.
Other drills include a ‘tabletop exercise’ and a ‘capability demonstration event’, that will be held on 29 November in the presence of Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
The MoD said that this activity will further promote the evolution of institutional frameworks and will enhance several skill sets, such as effective communication, cooperation, interoperability and implementation of all HADR procedures on the ground.
The MoD added in a statement: “Samanvay 2022 will promote a synergistic approach towards HADR by various national and regional stakeholders involved in disaster management.”
