♦ Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flagged off a joint mountaineering expedition to Mount Aconcagua in Argentina from South Block, New Delhi on 5 February 2026. Rising to 6,961 metres, Mount Aconcagua is the highest peak in South America and the tallest mountain outside the Asian continent.

♦ The expedition is being jointly undertaken by the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), Uttarkashi, and the Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports (JIM&WS), Pahalgam. The mission aims to enhance high-altitude mountaineering expertise and strengthen India’s presence in global adventure and mountain exploration.

♦ The six-member expedition team comprises trained instructors Col Hem Chandra Singh, Capt G. Santhosh Kumar, Deep Bahadur Sahi, Vinod Gusain, Naib Subedar Bhupinder Singh and Havildar Ramesh Kumar. The team began its journey on February 6, 2026, and the expedition is expected to conclude by the end of the month.