PANEX-21 is being held in the backdrop of the emergence of the Omicron variant which has sparked widespread concerns across the world.

Why in news?

• PANEX-21 a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Exercise is being held in the backdrop of the emergence of the Omicron variant.

About PANEX-21

• It is to be held for the BIMSTEC countries. It is a multinational disaster relief exercise. The exercise is to be held among the BIMSTEC countries: Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.
• The aim of the exercise is to foster joint planning and build regional cooperation for responding to natural disasters.
• The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a body of seven countries for cooperation in areas of common interests. PANEX 21 is planned to be conducted at Pune from December 20-22, 2021.
• The exercise will be based on three scenarios built on the theme of disaster management in the backdrop of a pandemic. The participants will be divided into eight syndicates, with one syndicate each from the participating countries and two syndicates from India.
• The exercise will look at analysing capabilities of member states and share best practices, review existing procedures for notification, preparedness and response and recommend the evolution of an organised structure with mechanisms for response to disasters including capability development, training, the regional pool of experts. Protocols for military-to-military cooperation will also be discussed.