Why in News
The Indian Navy’s INS Nireekshak — a diving support and salvage vessel — was deployed to Colombo, Sri Lanka, for the India-Sri Lanka Diving Exercise (DIVEX 2026). The exercise strengthens bilateral maritime cooperation in diving, salvage, and humanitarian assistance operations. The deployment also included BHISM (Bharatiya Health Stack for Management) medical cube — India’s mobile hospital system — reinforcing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) capability. DIVEX is a key pillar of India’s Neighbourhood First policy in maritime South Asia.
INS Nireekshak — The Ship
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Diving support and salvage vessel |
| Role | Underwater rescue, salvage operations, submarine rescue |
| Class | Nirupak-class diving support vessel |
| Significance | Specialist naval asset for deep-sea diving and wreck salvage |
| Navy command | Eastern Naval Command / Southern Naval Command rotation |
Key capabilities:
- Saturation diving (deep-sea, extended duration)
- Underwater rescue of distressed submarines
- Salvage of sunken vessels
- Hyperbaric medicine (treatment of decompression sickness)
DIVEX — India-Sri Lanka Diving Exercise
| Parameter | Detail |
|---|---|
| Exercise type | Bilateral naval (diving and salvage focused) |
| Participants | Indian Navy + Sri Lanka Navy |
| Location | Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Focus areas | Diving operations, salvage, HADR, medical support |
| Frequency | Annual bilateral exercise |
| BHISM deployment | India’s mobile medical cube for humanitarian missions |
BHISM — Bharatiya Health Stack for Management
BHISM (also called Arogya Maitri Disaster Management Cube) is India’s mobile field hospital system:
- Compact, modular medical unit deployable within 12 minutes
- Contains surgical equipment, ICU, pharmacy, oxygen supply
- Designed for disaster response and humanitarian missions
- First deployed internationally during Turkey earthquake relief (2023)
- Showcased India’s HADR capability during DIVEX 2026
India-Sri Lanka Bilateral Relations
Strategic Significance of Sri Lanka for India
| Factor | Importance |
|---|---|
| Proximity | Just 22 km from Tamil Nadu at Palk Strait (Adam’s Bridge) |
| Indian Ocean Strategy | Sri Lanka sits astride key SLOCs (Sea Lines of Communication) |
| China factor | Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Port (99-year lease to China, 2017) — strategic concern |
| Tamil community | ~1 million Tamils of Indian origin in Sri Lanka — diaspora links |
| Economic ties | India: Sri Lanka’s largest trading partner and top FDI source |
| Debt diplomacy | India provided $4 billion assistance during Sri Lanka’s 2022 economic crisis |
India-Sri Lanka Defence Cooperation
| Exercise/Initiative | Description |
|---|---|
| SLINEX | Naval exercise — primary bilateral (warships, helicopters) |
| MITRA SHAKTI | Army-level bilateral exercise |
| DIVEX | Diving and salvage focus — INS Nireekshak |
| DOSTI | Tri-lateral coast guard exercise — India + Maldives + Sri Lanka |
| Joint patrol | Coordinated maritime surveillance in Palk Strait |
India’s Neighbourhood First Policy — Maritime Dimension
What Is Neighbourhood First?
Neighbourhood First is India’s foreign policy doctrine emphasising:
- Priority engagement with SAARC nations
- Connectivity, development, and people-to-people ties
- Security cooperation without conditionality
In practice for maritime South Asia:
- Mission SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region) — humanitarian assistance operations
- Bilateral naval exercises with Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Myanmar
- HADR deployments (BHISM, disaster relief)
- Submarine rescue and diving support — builds trust, interoperability
India’s Maritime Strategy — SAGAR
SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) — India’s vision for the Indian Ocean:
- Announced by PM Modi in 2015 in Mauritius
- Emphasises collective maritime security, growth, and anti-piracy cooperation
- Indian Navy as “net security provider” in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR)
India’s Naval Bilateral Exercises — Key Ones for UPSC
| Exercise | Countries | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| MALABAR | India, USA, Japan (Australia joined 2020) | High-end naval warfare |
| TASMAN SABER | India, Australia, USA | Trilateral Pacific exercises |
| SLINEX | India, Sri Lanka | Bilateral naval |
| VARUNA | India, France | Bilateral naval |
| SHAKTI | India, France | Army bilateral |
| GARUDA | India, France | Air force |
| INDRA | India, Russia | Tri-services |
| SIMBEX | India, Singapore | Bilateral naval |
| TASMAN | India, Australia | Naval |
| DOSTI | India, Maldives, Sri Lanka | Coast guard tri-lateral |
UPSC Relevance
Prelims
- INS Nireekshak: diving support and salvage vessel
- DIVEX: India-Sri Lanka diving exercise
- BHISM: Bharatiya Health Stack for Management — mobile hospital cube
- Hambantota Port: 99-year lease to China (2017) from Sri Lanka
- SAGAR: India’s Indian Ocean vision (2015, Mauritius)
- DOSTI: tri-lateral coast guard — India, Maldives, Sri Lanka
- Palk Strait: separates India from Sri Lanka; ~22 km
Mains
- “India’s Neighbourhood First policy in the Indian Ocean requires strategic maritime investments. Analyse.”
- Role of HADR in India’s soft power projection in South Asia
Facts Corner
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| INS Nireekshak | Diving support and salvage vessel |
| DIVEX | India-Sri Lanka Diving Exercise — annual bilateral |
| BHISM | Bharatiya Health Stack for Management — mobile hospital cube |
| BHISM first international use | Turkey earthquake 2023 |
| India-Sri Lanka distance | ~22 km at Palk Strait |
| Hambantota Port lease | 99-year lease to China; 2017 |
| SAGAR | Security and Growth for All in the Region — India’s IOR vision |
| SLINEX | Primary India-Sri Lanka naval exercise (warships) |
| DOSTI | Tri-lateral: India + Sri Lanka + Maldives coast guard |
| India’s Sri Lanka assistance (2022) | ~$4 billion during economic crisis |
