Important Facts for Prelims (8th September 2018)

• 08 Sep 2018

SLINEX-2018 

• Indian Navy is participating in the 6th edition of bilateral naval exercise SLINEX-2018 between India and Sri Lanka.
• SLINEX series of bilateral maritime exercises were initiated in 2005.
• Since then five successful exercises have been conducted.
• Over the years, SLINEX has helped both the Navies in understanding each other's procedures and enhanced interoperability and contribute towards maritime security in the region.

Important Bilateral and Multilateral Defence Exercises
Indra	India-Russia Naval Exercise
Malabar	US-India-Japan Naval Exercise
Varuna	France and India Naval Exercise
Simbex	India and Republic of Singapore Naval Exercise
Ibsamar	India, Brazil and South Africa Naval Exercise
Konkan	India and Britain Naval Exercise
Ausindex	India and Australia Naval Exercise
Naseem Al-Bahr	India-Oman Naval Exercise

Nari Shakti Puraskar

• It is the highest Civilian Honour for Women in India, established in the year 1991.
• Ministry of Women and Child Development announces these national level awards for eminent women, organizations, and institutions who have been working incessantly towards the cause of Women Empowerment.
• President of India confers the Nari Shakti Puraskar on the International Women's Day(March 8), annually.
• Navika Sagar Parikrama - INSV Tarini Team was one among 39 awardees in 2017.

Chabahar Port Hand-over

• Iran has stuck to the agreed timeframe in its plans to hand over the operational responsibility of a part of the Chabahar port to India in October.
• India and Iran in 2003 had agreed to develop and operate Chabahar on the Gulf of Oman outside the Strait of Hormuz, near Iran's border with Pakistan. It is the only Iranian port with direct access to the ocean.
• It will cut transport costs/time for Indian goods by a third. The port is likely to boost trade among India, Afghanistan, and Iran after Pakistan’s denial of transit access to New Delhi for trade with the two countries.
• From Chabahar, the Iranian road network can be linked up to Zaranj in Afghanistan. The Zaranj-Delaram road constructed by India in 2009 can give access to Afghanistan's Garland Highway, setting up road access to four major cities in Afghanistan - Herat, Kandahar, Kabul, and Mazar-e-Sharif.