Sri Vijaya Puram, Dec. 17: Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), India's only Joint Armed Forces Command, will host the second annual Dweep Diksha Dialogue 2024 on 19-20 December 2024 at Sri Vijayapuram. This event marks the 20th anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, one of the deadliest natural disasters in the region’s history.

The 2004 Tsunami claimed an estimated 2,27,998 lives across 14 countries, severely impacting livelihoods in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand as well as Tamil Nadu and Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI) in India.  ANI itself recorded 1,310 deaths and 5,600 persons missing and presumed dead. The disaster caused widespread environmental and economic damage, necessitating regional collaboration to establish shared protocols for disaster response.