NEW DELHI, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday proposed to visiting ASEAN leaders to set up a joint women navy team for circumnavigation.
The unique proposal came at a meeting between Modi and the 10 ASEAN leaders who are in New Delhi to attend the "ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit."
Briefing media persons ahead of the Summit here Thursday evening, Preeti Saran, India's Secretary (East) of the Ministry of External Affairs, said that the proposal came in the backdrop of a similar endeavor being undertaken by a six-member women crew of the "Indian Navy" circumnavigating the globe.
"One nugget of discussion among Indian and the ASEAN leaders was that the Indian prime minister talked about 'naari shakti' (women power). There is a six-member Indian Navy team that is currently circumnavigating the southern hemisphere," she said. "Our prime minister offered to have a joint India-ASEAN women's Navy team for a similar circumnavigation," she added.
A six-member all-woman team of the "Indian Navy" is currently sailing to circumnavigate the globe on the vessel "INSV Tarini." This is the first-ever Indian circumnavigation of the globe by an all-woman crew.
The voyage began from Goa (in south India) in the first week of September in 2017, and will culminate on their return in March. The distance will be covered in five legs, with stopovers at four ports -- Fremantle (Australia), Lyttelton (New Zealand), Port Stanley (Falklands) and Cape Town (South Africa).
