Context :

• India’s flood relief outreach to Madagascar will be followed up this week, as the island’s Defence Minister Rakotonirina Leon Jean Richard travels to Lucknow and Delhi from Tuesday — the first such high level visit since Delhi incorporated the island into the “Indian Ocean Region (IOR)

Operation Vanilla

• Indian navy conducted “Operation Vanilla”, with INS Airavat delivering relief material including food, clothing, medicines and water to cyclone hit Madagascar.
• Humanitarian gesture by New Delhi also showcased India’s strategic capabilities in the furthermost islands of the IOR.

What are the ‘Vanilla Islands’

• Vanilla Islands is a grouping of six island nations in south-west Indian Ocean who joined hands in 2010 to integrate their efforts to boost tourism. Mayotte, Comoros, Mauritius, Seychelles, Reunion and Madagascar are its members.
• The term ‘Vanilla’ is used because these countries are known for their exp.

Source:TH