India is ‘Net Security Provider' in Indo-Pacific: Defense Minister

Civilian and security agencies of ten southeast Asian nations are currently taking part in the ‘Samanvay 2022’ drills in the Indian city of Agra from November, 28 to 30.

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh claimed that Delhi has emerged as a “net security provider” and a “regional power” in the Indo-Pacific region on Tuesday while addressing the multi-agency Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise ‘Samanvay 2022’ in Agra, India.

Singh said that Delhi has carried out “humanitarian assistance” and “disaster relief” operations not only across India, but also in its extended neighborhood and the broader region. He also noted that India’s capacity to lead relief operations in foreign countries has increased under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who first came to power in 2014.

He lauded India’s Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) policy, first enunciated by Prime Minister Modi during his visit to Mauritius in 2016, for forging greater interoperability among civilian and security agencies of regional countries in order to collectively respond to crisis situations.

Since 2015, Delhi has spearheaded disaster relief operations in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Indonesia, Mozambique, Maldives and Madagascar, all of them lying in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Noting that countries in the region are particularly “vulnerable” to natural disasters fomented by climate change, Singh also called for greater information-sharing mechanisms among regional countries to ensure better preparation for crisis situations.

“As nations have different capacities, collaborative preparation to deal with disasters is required,” the Indian defence minister stated.