Humanitarian Assistance to Drought-Hit Madagascar | 03 Mar 2021

Why in News

India is sending a consignment of 1,000 metric tonnes of rice and 1,00,000 hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) tablets to Madagascar as assistance to deal with the humanitarian crisis triggered by a severe drought.

Key Points

  • About the Latest Assistance:
    • The humanitarian assistance is being delivered on-board Indian Naval Ship Jalashwa.
    • During this trip, INS Jalashwa will also have on board an Indian naval training team, which is being deployed in Madagascar for capacity building and training of the Malagasy Special Forces.
    • INS Jalashwa will also call at Port Anjoun in the Republic of Comoros where it will deliver a consignment of 1,000 metric tonnes of Indian rice.
  • Past Assistance to Madagascar:
    • Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kesari carried food items and medical assistance teams to countries including Madagascar to deal with Covid-19 pandemic as part of a "Mission Sagar" initiative.
    • In March 2020, INS Shardul visited the port of Antsiranana and delivered 600 tonnes of rice as Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) assistance to Madagascar for dealing with heavy floods in the Northern region of Madagascar.
    • Indian Navy was the first to respond when Cyclone Diane struck Madagascar and prompt assistance was delivered under Operation Vanilla by INS Airavat in January 2020.
    • India is also actively engaged in training Malagasy people in capacity building and other high skilled/technical fields, courses for which are offered through Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) and India Africa Forum Summit.
  • Significance:
    • The supplies of food assistance and support for capacity building to the friendly countries of Madagascar and Comoros is in line with the vision of SAGAR.
    • Showcases India’s time-tested role as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean Region.
  • Recent Developments:
    • India has been accepted as an observer of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC).
      • This has strategic importance as the Commission is an important regional institution in the Western/African Indian Ocean.
      • IOC consists of Madagascar, Comoros, La Réunion (French overseas territory), Mauritius and Seychelles as members.
    • India hosted Indian Ocean Region (IOR) Conclave to promote dialogue in an institutional, economic and cooperative environment that can foster the development of peace, stability and prosperity in the Indian Ocean region.
      • The Defence Minister of Madagascar also participated in it.

Source: IE