Indian Coast Guard

Indian Coast Guard
Indian Coast Guard insignia
Active	18 August 1978 –- present
Country	India
Type	Coast Guard
Size	Active duty: 5,440 personnel
Part of	Ministry of Defence
Motto	वयम् रक्षामः (English: We Protect)
Commanders
Director General	Vice Admiral M.P. Muralidharan, AVSM
Insignia
Ensign
Aircraft flown
Helicopter	HAL Chetak HAL Dhruv
Patrol	Dornier Do 228

The Indian Coast Guard (Hindi: भारतीय तटरक्षक) (ICG) is a branch of the Indian Armed Forces. Its mission is the protection of India's maritime interests and maritime law enforcement with jurisdiction over both territorial and international waters.

ICG was formally established on 18th August 1978 as an armed force of the Union by the Coast Guard Act, 1978. It operates under the Department of Defence of the Union Ministry of Defence.

The Coast Guard works in close cooperation with the Indian Navy, Department of Fisheries, Department of Revenue (Customs) and the Central and State police forces. The ICG is usually and currently headed by a naval officer of the rank of Vice-Admiral on deputation, although one of the Director Generals (the 16th), Prabhakaran Paleri, was a Naval officer on permanent secondment to the Coast Guard. Subsequent Director Generals have again all been from the Indian Navy.

Missions

The Indian Coast Guard's motto, in keeping with its missions, is वयम रक्षामः (Vayam Rakshamah), which translates from Sanskrit as We Protect. Its missions are:

• Protection of maritime resources
• Maritime safety, search and rescue
• Law enforcement in territorial as well as international waters
• Protection of marine ecology and environment
• Scientific data collection and support
• Maritime defence support

History

The establishment of the Indian Coast Guard was first proposed by the Indian Navy to provide non-military maritime services to the nation. In the 1960s, sea-borne smuggling of goods was threatening India's domestic economy. The Indian Customs Department frequently called upon the Indian Navy for assistance with patrol and interception in the anti-smuggling effort.

The Nag Chaudhri Committee was constituted with participation from the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force to study the problem. In August 1971, the committee identified the requirement to patrol India's vast coastline; setup a registry of offshore fishing vessels in order to identify illegal activity; and establish a capable and well-equipped force to intercept vessels engaged in illegal activities. The committee also looked at the number and nature of the equipment, infrastructure and personnel required to provide these services.

By 1973, India had started a program to acquire the equipment and started deputing personnel from the Indian Navy for these anti-smuggling and law enforcement tasks, under the provisions of the Maintenance of Internal Security Act. The Indian Navy sensed that the law enforcement nature of these duties diverged from its core mission as a military service. Admiral Sourendra Nath Kohli, then Chief of Naval Staff, hence made a recommendation to the Defense Secretary outlining the need for a separate maritime service to undertake these duties and offering the Navy's assistance in its establishment. On 31 August 1974, the Defense Secretary submitted a note to the Cabinet Secretary proposing cabinet action on Admiral Kohli's recommendation.

As a result, in September 1974, the Indian cabinet setup the Rustamji Committee with participation from the Navy, the Air Force and the Department of Revenue to examine gaps in security and law enforcement between the roles of the Indian Navy and the central and state police forces. The discovery of oil off Bombay High further emphasized the need for a maritime law enforcement and protection service. The committee submitted its recommendation for the establishment of the Indian Coast Guard under the Ministry of Defense on 31 July 1975. Bureaucratic wrangling followed, with the Cabinet Secretary making a recommendation to place the service under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Fortunately, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi overruled the Cabinet Secretary and decided to accept the original recommendation of the Rustamji Committee to place the service under the Ministry of Defense.

An interim Indian Coast Guard came into being on 1 February 1977 equipped with two small corvettes and five patrol boats transferred from the Navy. The duties and functions of the service were formally defined in the Coast Guard Act, which was passed by India's parliament on 18 August 1978 and came into immediate effect. Vice Admiral V.A. Kamath of the Indian Navy was appointed the founding Director General. Prime Minister Morarji Desai inspected the Guard of Honour at the service's inauguration. Vice Admiral Kamath proposed a 5-year plan to develop the ICG into a potent force by 1984, but the full potential of this plan was not immediately realized due to an economic resource crunch.

The Indian Coast Guard conducts exercises with the other coast guards of the world. In May 2005, the ICG agreed to establish liaison links with Pakistan's Maritime Security Agency (PMSA). In 2006, the Indian Coast Guard conducted exercises with its Japanese and Korean counterparts.

One of the historic operational successes of the ICG occurred in October 1999, with the recapture at high seas of Panamanian-registered Japanese cargo ship, MV Alondra Rainbow, hijacked off Indonesia. Her crew was rescued off Phuket, Thailand. The ship had been repainted as MV Mega Rama, and was spotted off Kochi, heading towards Pakistan. She was chased by ICGS Tarabai and INS Prahar (K98) of the Indian Navy, and apprehended.. It was the first successful prosecution of armed pirates in over a century.

After the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the Indian government initiated a program to expand the ICG force, assets and infrastructure. The force is expected to be tripled between 2010-2019 in man power, vessels as well as aircraft.

Personnel

Coast Guard Officers

Comparison of rank structure with other Defence Services

GOVERNMENT PAY GRADE	COASTGUARD RANKS	INDIAN NAVY RANKS	INDIAN ARMY RANKS	INDIAN AIR FORCE RANKS
Cabinet/Chief of Staff Scale (Rs. 90,000, Fixed)	No Equivalent	Admiral	General	Air Chief Marshal
Apex Grade (Rs. 80,000, Fixed)	No Equivalent	Vice Admiral (FoC-in-C)	Lieutenant General (GoC-in-C)	Air Marshal (AoC-in-C)
Higher Administrative Grade+ (Rs. 75500-80000)	Director General	Vice Admiral	Lieutenant General	Air Marshal
Rs. 37400-67000 with Grade Pay Rs 10000/-	Inspector General	Rear Admiral	Major General	Air Vice Marshal
Rs. 37400-67000 with Grade Pay Rs 8900/-	Deputy Inspector General	Commodore (IN)	Brigadier	Air Commodore
Rs. 37400-67000 with Grade Pay Rs 8700/-	Commandant	Captain (IN)	Colonel	Group Captain
Rs. 37400-67000 with Grade Pay Rs 8000/-	No Equivalent	Commander (IN)	Lieutenant Colonel	Wing Commander
Rs. 15600-39100 with Grade Pay Rs 7600/-	Commandant (Junior Grade)	No Equivalent	No Equivalent	No Equivalent
Rs. 15600-39100 with Grade Pay Rs 6600/-	Deputy Commandant	Lieutenant Commander (IN)	Major	Squadron Leader
Rs. 15600-39100 with Grade Pay Rs 6100/-	No Equivalent	Lieutenant (IN)	Captain	Flight Lieutenant
Rs. 15600-39100 with Grade Pay Rs 5400/-	Assistant Commandant^, Assistant Commandant†	Sub Lieutenant (IN)	Lieutenant	Flying Officer

+ With three years seniority

^ After getting Watch Keeping Certificate or Wings

† Under training after completion of Phase III afloat training and during sub courses

◊ Under training after completion of Phase II afloat training

₳ Rank no longer exist or given to trainee officers

Officers are appointed in the Coast Guard in one of three branches, as either General Duty officer, Pilot officer , Technical officer or Law officers. Women are appointed as officers in all three branches, but serve only on shore installations. They are not deployed on board Coast Guard ships.

General Duty officers

ICG offshore patrol vessel ICGS Vishwast visiting Kobe, Japan

General Duty officers of the Coast Guard are assigned operational tasks, including command of weapons systems, navigation systems, crews and vessels. Command of ships at sea can only be exercised by General Duty officers. Command of Coast Guard operations at sea, and the safety of crew and ships is the primary responsibility of these officers.

Pilot officers

Pilot officers are appointed into the Air Wing of the Coast Guard. They may serve on shore at a Coast Guard Air Station or Air Enclave, or operate rotary wing aircraft from Coast Guard ships.

Technical officers

Technical officers are responsible for operation of advanced technology and sensor systems on board Coast Guard vessels and aircraft, as well as on shore installations. They also command the maintenance wings of the force. Technical officers are usually required to have an Engineering background.

Law Officers

Law officers act as legal advisers to their respective commanders. They also prosecute and defend cases filed by or against the Indian Coast Guard.Presently, there is one law officer posted in each of the four Regions.The Law Officers in Indian Coast Guard have a strength of 10 at present including two lady officers.The legal Branch in the Indian Coast Guard is headed by a Deputy Inspector General(DIG), who is designated as the Chief Law Officer(CLO).

Enrolled Personnel

Enrolled Personnel in the Coast Guard serve as either aYantrik (Technician) or Navik (Sailor).

Yantriks are responsible for operating and maintaining mechanical, electrical or aeronautical equipment and systems on board the Coast Guard vessels and aircraft.

Naviks may further serve in the General Duty or Domestic branches. The General Duty Naviks serve as sailors, weapons systems operators, communication specialists, divers, etc or in specific maritime or aviation support roles. Domestic branch Naviks serve in roles such as stewards, cooks, etc on board Coast Guard vessels.& all duties where is urgent basis may be weapons operate as well as general duty

Training

Currently, ICG personnel undergo Basic Training at the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala while the Indian Coast Guard Academy is under construction in Azhikkal, Kannur district, Kerala.

Organization

The Indian Coast Guard operations are split into 4 regions: Western Region headquartered in Mumbai, Eastern Region headquartered in Chennai and the Andaman & Nicobar Region headquartered in Port Blair and North West Region headquartered at Gandhinagar.

Leadership

The ICG is led by the Director General of Coast Guard, who is usually an officer of the rank Vice Admiral from the Indian Navy. The current ICG DG is Vice Admiral Anil Chopra, AVSM. Each region is headed by an Inspector General (IG) or a Deputy Inspector General (DIG). The IG and DIG are appointed as Coast Guard Officers, often graduates of the Indian Defence Service Colleges, though not necessarily.

Each of the regions is further divided into multiple districts, typically covering a coastal state or a union territory.

Establishments

By the end of 2012, the Indian Coast Guard is on track to operate:

• 42 Coast Guard Stations
• 5 Coast Guard Air Stations
• 10 Coast Guard Air Enclaves

Equipment

Surface vessels

Ships belonging to the Indian Coast Guard are prefixed ICGS, abbreviation for Indian Coast Guard Ship.

Ship Class	Type	Origin	Displacement	In service	Notes
In Service: 93 ships
Sankalp class	Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel	India	2300 tons	2
Samar class	Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel	India	2005 tons	5
Vishwast class	Offshore Patrol Vessel	India	1800 tons	2
Vikram class	Offshore Patrol Vessel		1220 tons	9
Samudra class	Pollution Control Vessel(PCV)	India	3300 tons	1
Jijabai Class	Inshore Patrol Vessels		200 tons	13
Vadyar Class	Interceptor Craft		2.4 tons	8
Bristol Class	Interceptor Craft		5.5 tons	4
	Interceptor Boat	India	32 tons	12
	Fast Patrol Vessel		215 tons	15
	Extra Fast Patrol Vessel (XFPV)	India	270 tons	7
	Seaward Defence Boat		203 tons	2
	Inshore Patrol Craft	Republic of Korea	32 tons	5
	Air Cushion Vehicle (Hovercraft)	United Kingdom	N.A.	6
Under Construction/Order: 80 ships
Sankalp Class	Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel	India	2230 tons	1 being built
Vishwast class	Offshore Patrol Vessel	India	1800 tons	1 on order
Samudra class	Pollution Control Vessel(PCV)	India	3300 tons	2 being built
Rani Abbakka Class	Inshore Patrol Vessel	India	275 tons	2 being built + 6 on order
	Interceptor Boat	India	75 tons	1 being built + 5 on order
ABG fast interceptor crafts	Interceptor Boat	India	75 tons	9 built+ 2 on order
	Air Cushion Vehicle (Hovercraft)	United Kingdom	N.A.	12 on order
	(Hydrofoils)	United Kingdom	N.A.	12 on order
L&T fast interceptor crafts	Interceptor Boat	India		36 on order	L&T
Cochin Fast Patrol Vessels	Fast Patrol Vessels (FPV)	India		20 on order	Cochin

Aircraft inventory

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Variants	In service	Notes
HAL Dhruv	India	Utility helicopter		4
HAL Chetak	India	Utility helicopter		18
Dornier Do 228	Germany India	Maritime Surveillance Search & Rescue	Do 228-101	24	18 built by HAL

See also

• Indian Navy
• Military of India

References

External links

• Official Indian Coast Guard site
• Ministry of Defence site