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Coast Guard's maritime search and rescue exercise to kick off from Nov 28

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New Delhi, Nov 27 (PTI) The 11th edition of Indian Coast Guard's National Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise and Workshop -- SAREX-24 -- will be conducted in Kochi in Kerala on November 28-29, the defence ministry said on Wednesday.

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It will be held under the aegis of the National Maritime Search and Rescue Board and inaugurated by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.

Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Director General, S Paramesh, who is also the National Maritime Search and Rescue Coordinating Authority, will be among the dignitaries attending the event, the ministry said in a statement.

The theme of SAREX-24 will be 'Enhancing Search and Rescue Capabilities through Regional Collaboration'. It signifies ICG's commitment to provide succour during large-scale contingencies regardless of location, nationality or circumstances in the Indian search and rescue region and beyond, the statement said.

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The first day of the event will feature various programmes, including table-top exercise, workshop and seminars involving participation of senior officials from government agencies, ministries and armed forces, various stakeholders and foreign delegates.

On the second day, the sea exercise involving two large-scale contingencies will be carried out off the Kochi coast with participation of ships and aircraft of the ICG, Navy, Indian Air Force, passenger vessel and tug from Cochin Port Authority and boats from the customs, the statement said.

The first contingency will simulate distress onboard a passenger vessel having 500 passengers, while the second scenario will depict ditching of civil aircraft with 200 passengers, it added.

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"The response matrix in the sea exercise will involve various methods to evacuate distressed passengers, wherein the advent of new-age technology using satellite-aided distress beacons, drones to deploy a lifebuoy, air droppable life rafts, and operation of remote-controlled lifebuoy will be demonstrated," the ministry said.

The exercise is designed not only to evaluate efficiency of operations and coordination with national stakeholders, but also to aptly focus on cooperative engagements with the littorals and friendly countries, it added.

Over the years, the ICG has evolved as a premier maritime agency rightfully steering the government's efforts towards a stable and effective maritime search and rescue construct, the statement said.

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An MoU was signed with Indian Ocean Rim Association member states for coordinating SAR (Search and Rescue) in the Indian Ocean Region and the ICG is the implementing agency.

Further, the ICG has been nominated as a nodal agency for SAR activities in the Indo-Pacific Region. The ICG's increased focus to the maritime safety aspect will go a long way in strengthening India's global responsibility in sync with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region), the statement said.

Meanwhile, in another statement, the ministry said that in order to foster collaboration between the armed forces and industry, a key event -- Defence Partnership Days -- will be organised jointly by the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies and Indian Military Review, on November 28-29 in New Delhi.

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The event is designed to bridge government and business stakeholders, and to facilitate strategic engagements through a series of targeted business-to-government (B2G) and business-to-business (B2B) meetings.

Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan will inaugurate the event along with Secretary (Defence Production), Sanjeev Kumar, the statement said.

Over 200 companies and 100 officers from the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces, dealing with technology and procurement will participate in the event. In addition, an exhibition by 75 companies will be organised to showcase what the industry has to offer for building the nation's defence capabilities, the statement said. PTI KND KVK KVK KVK

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