GRAND FINALE OF THINQ-25 CONCLUDES AT INA The Grand Finale of THINQ 25 – The Indian Navy Quiz concluded with great enthusiasm at the Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala, on November 5, 2025. The event, graced by **Adm Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of the Naval Staff**, celebrated the culmination of a nationwide intellectual journey that highlighted knowledge, innovation, and India’s rich maritime heritage. This year’s quiz, themed **“MAHASAGAR”**, symbolised the Indian Navy’s spirit of exploration, excellence, and its commitment to fostering maritime awareness among India’s youth. The competition saw thousands of students from across the country participate, with 16 schools reaching the semi-finals, representing regions from North, South, East, and West India. After a highly competitive series of rounds, the **top eight teams** advanced to the Grand Finale to compete for the prestigious **THINQ-25 Trophy**. The finalists included: * Jayshree Periwal High School, Jaipur * Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Kannur * Subodh Public School, Jaipur * Shiksha Niketan, Jamshedpur * Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan Senior Secondary School, Chennai * Cambridge Court High School, Jaipur * Dr Virendra Swarup Education Centre, Kanpur * PM Shri JNV, Samastipur After an exciting battle of intellect and teamwork, **Jayshree Periwal High School, Jaipur**, emerged as the **champions**, with **PM Shri Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Samastipur**, securing the **runners-up** position. The finale provided a fitting and inspiring conclusion to this year’s edition. In his address, the **Chief of the Naval Staff** praised the participants for their passion, knowledge, and deep understanding of India’s maritime legacy. He highlighted the importance of cultivating curiosity and encouraging innovation in the youth, which would play a crucial role in shaping future maritime leaders and thinkers. The event was live-streamed on the Indian Navy’s official YouTube and Facebook pages, attracting a large online audience of students, naval establishments, and maritime enthusiasts across the country. With the success of THINQ-25, the Indian Navy now looks ahead to **THINQ-26**, eager to inspire new generations to explore, engage, and excel in the field of maritime knowledge and discovery.

3RD EDITION OF MARITIME INFORMATION SHARING WORKSHOP (MISW-25) SEMINAR AT GURUGRAM The third edition of the *Maritime Information Sharing Workshop (MISW-25)*, hosted by the Information Fusion Centre . Indian Ocean Region (IFC–IOR) in Gurugram, brought together **57 participants from 30 countries** for three days of focused deliberations and practical exercises aimed at enhancing real-time coordination, interoperability, and information sharing across the Indian Ocean Region. The event, themed *“Enhancing Real-Time Coordination and Information Sharing Across the Indian Ocean Region,”* includes a **Maritime Security Seminar (03–04 Nov 2025)** and a **Table-Top Exercise (TTX) on 05 Nov 2025**, conducted using the indigenously developed **MANTRA (Maritime Analytical Tool for Regional Awareness)** software. The seminar began with an inaugural address by **Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff**, who highlighted the importance of collaboration, interoperability, and trust-based partnerships to address evolving maritime challenges. This was followed by a keynote address by **Mr. Sushil Mansing Khopde, IPS**, Additional Director General, Directorate General of Shipping, who outlined India’s efforts to strengthen the maritime security architecture through cooperative engagement and regulatory alignment. Over the two days, discussions covered diverse aspects of maritime security, including **regional security dynamics, operational coordination, information networks, maritime law, industry perspectives, and transnational maritime crime**. The sessions underscored the growing need for technological integration, data interoperability, and collective commitment to build a resilient maritime security ecosystem. The seminar concluded with remarks by **Rear Admiral Nirbhay Bapna**, who emphasised synergy among regional information-sharing frameworks and reaffirmed that collaboration and sustained dialogue are key to ensuring a safe and secure maritime domain. On the final day, **a practical Table-Top Exercise** at IFC–IOR will test participants’ ability to apply information-sharing principles and coordinated response mechanisms to simulated maritime security challenges — including piracy, drug trafficking, irregular migration, and distress-at-sea incidents. The exercise aims to refine **multi-agency coordination and real-time information exchange**, enhancing collective maritime situational awareness and response effectiveness across the Indian Ocean Region.

DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AFFAIRS SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETES SPECIAL CAMPAIGN 5.0 The Department of Military Affairs (DMA) and all establishments under its jurisdiction have successfully concluded the fifth edition of *Special Campaign 5.0*, conducted from October 2 to 31, 2025. The Armed Forces and Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) actively participated in the initiative, focusing on cleanliness drives across posts, units, stations, establishments, and cantonments, along with reducing pending matters. In addition to cleanliness efforts, the campaign achieved significant progress in clearing public grievances, MP and PMO references, State Government communications, appeals, and parliamentary assurances. A total of **5,274 campaign sites** were identified, and **455 processes** were simplified across various organisations. The **sale and disposal of scrap generated Rs 41.64 crore**, while **7,18,898 physical files** were reviewed and **9,602 files** were weeded out, freeing up **2,71,842 sq ft** of space for better utilisation. The Department achieved **100% disposal of public grievances and parliamentary assurances**, addressing **450 grievances** and **46 MP references** during the campaign. Several innovative practices emerged, such as the Indian Army’s initiative at Varanasi Military Station, where **electricity is generated from wastewater** using a **2 KW Micro Hydro Power system** — an eco-friendly, zero-emission setup that powers lights along natural walkways. Another example is the **hydroponic farming project at Gangtok**, which ensures year-round availability of fresh vegetables for troops, reducing dependency on long-distance supply and lowering the carbon footprint.