The Indian Navy’s patrol vessel, INS Sharda, docked at Maafilaafushi Atoll on Sunday to commence a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise with the Maldives. Scheduled from May 4 to May 10, the bilateral drill underscores New Delhi’s growing role as a key security partner and first responder in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
This deployment is part of India’s expanding MAHASAGAR vision—Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions—which promotes regional cooperation, disaster preparedness, and maritime stability through technological advancement and diplomatic engagement. MAHASAGAR builds upon the earlier SAGAR framework (Security and Growth for All in the Region), elevating India’s focus on multilateral maritime initiatives using cutting-edge tools such as satellite surveillance and AI-based analytics.
India and the Maldives share decades-long defense ties, including Exercise DOSTI, which began in 1991 and evolved into a trilateral maritime initiative with Sri Lanka in 2012. The ongoing HADR exercise aims to enhance coordination, interoperability, and capacity-building in responding to natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies—critical for a region increasingly vulnerable to climate-induced challenges.
The Indian Navy has consistently taken the lead in regional disaster response, with recent examples including Operation Vanilla in Madagascar. By anchoring HADR capabilities with partner nations like the Maldives, India reinforces its role as a reliable maritime security provider in the Global South.
The exercise also follows a series of diplomatic engagements by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Southeast Asia, reaffirming India’s strategic outreach to regional partners. As cooperation deepens, initiatives like this HADR drill strengthen not only bilateral ties but also the collective resilience of the Indian Ocean community.
