Why in the News?
Defence Minister flagged off Samudra Pradakshina, the world’s first tri-service all-women circumnavigation sailing mission, from the Gateway of India, Mumbai.
About Expedition ‘Samudra Pradakshina’:
- Overview: First-ever all-women tri-service circumnavigation sailing expedition in the world.
- Crew: Ten women officers from the Army, Navy, and Air Force, led by Lt. Col. Anuja Varudkar.
- Vessel: IASV Triveni, a 50-foot yacht built indigenously in Puducherry.
- Duration & Route: Nine months, covering 26,000 nautical miles, crossing the Equator twice, and rounding Capes Leeuwin, Horn, and Good Hope.
- Port Calls: Fremantle (Australia), Lyttelton (New Zealand), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Cape Town (South Africa).
- Mission Objectives: Showcase Nari Shakti, promote joint military cooperation, advance Atmanirbhar Bharat, strengthen maritime diplomacy, and conduct ocean research with the National Institute of Oceanography.
Historic Precursors:
- Sir Robin Knox-Johnston (UK): First solo non-stop circumnavigation (1969).
- Captain Dilip Donde (2009–10): First Indian solo circumnavigation. Commander Abhilash Tomy (2012–13) — first Indian solo non-stop circumnavigation.
- Women-led Expeditions: Navika Sagar Parikrama (2017–18)– first all-women Indian Navy circumnavigation on INSV Tarini. Navika Sagar Parikrama-II (2024–25) – second successful all-women naval circumnavigation on INSV Tarini.
| [UPSC 2025] Operations undertaken by the Army towards upliftment of the local population in remote areas to include addressing of their basic needs is called:
Options: (a) Operation Sankalp (b) Operation Maitri (c) Operation Sadbhavana* (d) Operation Madad |
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