Indian Coast Guard
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| Indian Coast Guard भारतीय तटरक्षक |
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| Flag of the Indian Coast Guard. | |
| Motto | वयम् रक्षामः (Sanskrit) Vayam rakshaamah |
| We protect | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | August 18, 1978 |
| Preceding agency | Interim coast guard (February 1, 1977) |
| Employees | 5440 |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Federal agency | India |
| Size | 2.01 million km² (ocean) 7517 km (coastline) |
| General nature |
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| Specialist jurisdiction | Water ways and bodies and-or coastal areas. |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | New Delhi |
| Regional Headquarters | 3 |
| Facilities | |
| Coast guard stations | 29 |
| Airbases | 5 |
| Patrol and defence vessels | 48 |
| Interceptor vessels | 22 |
| Hovercrafts | 6 |
| Planes | 24 |
| Helicopters | 21 |
| Website | |
| www.indiancoastguard.nic.in | |
| this information |
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The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is one of four branches of the Indian Armed Forces, tasked with the mission to guard the Republic of India's maritime interests. The Indian Coast Guard's organization is similar to that of other Para Military Forces of India. It was created on 18 August 1978 as an independent entity as per the Coast Guard Act. It operates under the effective control of the Ministry of Defense.
The ICG mission is to protect India's maritime interests, including its coastline, exclusive economic zone and shipping. It is also tasked with Indian maritime law enforcement relating to ocean resources, shipping, customs and revenue, maritime environment, protected species as well as narcotics.
The coast guard works in close cooperation with the Indian Navy, Indian department of Fisheries, Department of Revenue (Customs) and the Central and State Police forces. The ICG is generally headed by a naval officer of the rank of Vice-Admiral.
The establishment of the Indian Coast Guard was first proposed by the Indian Navy to provide non-military maritime services to the nation.[1] In the 1960's, 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 need to patrol India's vast coastline, register fishing vessels in order to identify illegal activity and the need for a capable and well-equipped force to intercept illegal vessels. The committee also looked at the number and nature of the equipment, infrastructure and personnel required to provide these services.[1]
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 nature of these duties diverged from its core mission as a military service. Based on the inputs from the Chief of Naval Staff, on August 31, 1974, the then Defense Secretary submitted a note the Cabinet Secretary outlining the need for the Coast Guard.
In September 1974, the Rustamji Committee was setup with participation from the Indian Navy and the Department of Revenue to examine the 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 July 31, 1975. Bureaucratic wrangling followed, with the Cabinet Secretary making a recommendation to place the service under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Fortunately, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi overruled the Cabinet Secretary and decided to place the service under the Ministry of Defense.[1]
An interim Indian Coast Guard came into being on February 1, 1977 equipped with two small frigates and five patrol boats deputed from the Indian Navy. The duties and functions of the service were formally defined in the Coast Guard Act, which was passed on 18 August 1978, and came into effect the next day. Vice Admiral V.A. Kamath of the Indian Navy was the founding Director General. Vice Admiral Kamath proposed a plan to develop the ICG into a potent force by 1984, but the full potential of this plan has not been realized due to a resource crunch.[1]
The Indian Coast Guard conducts exercises with the other coast guards of the world. In 2006, the Indian Coast Guard conducted exercises with Japanese and Korean counterparts. In May 2005, the Indian Coast Guard agreed to set up liaison links with Pakistan Coast Guard which is formally known as the MSA Maritime Security Agency.
Major historic achievements of the service includes the first ever recapture of a pirated ship at high seas, the MV Alondra rainbow.
After the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the Indian government has initiated a program to expand the ICG force, assets and infrastructure.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Rank Structure
| Coast Guard Rank Structure | Equivalent Indian Navy Rank Structure |
|---|---|
| Director General | Vice Admiral |
| Inspector General | Rear Admiral |
| Deputy Inspector General+ | Commodore |
| Deputy Inspector General | Captain |
| Commandant | Commander |
| Commandant (Junior Grade) | Commander |
| Deputy Commandant | Lieutenant Commander |
| Assistant Commandant | Lieutenant |
| Assistant Commandant† | Acting Lieutenant |
| Assistant Commandant◊ | Midshipman |
+ With three years seniority † Under training after completion of Phase III afloat training and during sub courses ◊ Under training after completion of Phase II afloat training
[edit] Organization
 Triservices Crest. |
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| Military Man Power | |
|---|---|
| Active troops | 1,325,000 (3rd) |
| Reserve forces | 1,155,000 (7th) |
| Paramilitary forces | 1,293,300 (4th) |
| Components | |
| Indian Army |  |
| Indian Air Force |  |
| Indian Navy |  |
| Indian Coast Guard | |
| Paramilitary forces of India | |
| Strategic Nuclear Command | |
| History | |
| Military history of India | |
| Ranks | |
| Air Force ranks and insignia | |
| Army ranks and insignia | |
| Naval ranks and insignia | |
The Indian Coast Guard operations are split into 3 regions: Western Region headquartered in Mumbai, Eastern Region headquartered in Chennai and the Andaman & Nicobar Region headquartered in Port Blair. The force has a strength of 5440, including 633 officers.
The ICG is led by the Director General of Coast Guard, usually a commissioned officer of rank Vice Admiral from 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 commissioned Coast Guard Officers, often graduates of the Indian defence service colleges.
Each of the regions is further divided into multiple districts, typically covering a coastal state or a union territory.
[edit] Bases
The Indian Coast Guard operates:
- 29 Coast Guard Stations[3]
- 2 air bases, in Daman and Chennai
- Air enclaves at Goa, Kolkata and Port Blair.
[edit] Equipment
[edit] Surface vessels
| Ship Class | Type | Origin | Displacement | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In Service: | |||||
| Sankalp class | Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel |  India |
2300 tons | 2 | [4] |
| Samar class | Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel | India |
2005 tons | 4 | |
| Vikram class | Offshore Patrol Vessel | 1220 tons | 7 | ||
| Samudra class | Pollution Control Vessel(PCV) | India |
3300 tons | 3 | |
| Jijabai Class | Inshore Patrol Vessels | 200 tons | 15 | ||
| Vadyar Class | Interceptor Craft | 2.4 tons | 8 | ||
| Bristol Class | Interceptor Craft | 5.5 tons | 4 | ||
| Interceptor Boat | India |
49 tons | 10 | ||
| Fast Patrol Vessel | 215 tons | 8 | |||
| 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: | |||||
| Sankalp Class | Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel | India |
2230 tons | 1 being built | |
| Vishwast class | Offshore Patrol Vessel | India |
1800 tons | 1 launched + 2 on order |
[5] |
| Inshore Patrol Vessel | India |
275 tons | 2 being built + 3 on order |
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| Interceptor Boat | India |
75 tons | 1 being built + 5 on order |
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| Interceptor Boat | India |
75 tons | 15 on order |
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[edit] Aircraft inventory
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Versions | In service[6] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HAL Dhruv | India |
Utility helicopter | 4 | ||
| HAL Dhruv | India |
Attack Helicopter | ALH | 5 | |
| Aérospatiale SA 316 Alouette III |  France |
Utility helicopter | SA 316B | 17 | |
| Dornier Do 228 |  Germany
India |
transport
search and rescue patrol |
Do 228-101 | 24 | 18 built by HAL |
[edit] Gallery
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d http://indiancoastguard.nic.in/Indiancoastguard/history/morehistory.html
- ^ Antony clears several proposals to augment coastal security
- ^ Coast Guard station commissioned
- ^ Antony to induct 5th AOPV ‘ICGS Sankalp’ into coast guard tomorrow
- ^ Centre has Rs 100,000-cr defence budget: Kumar
- ^ "World Military Aircraft Inventory", Aerospace Source Book 2007, Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 15, 2007.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Indian Coast Guard |
- Official Coast Guard site
- Indian Coast Guard @ India Defence
- Bharat Rakshak page on Coast Guard
- Ministry of Defence
- AeroFlight
- International Lifeboat Federation
- Indian Coast Guard eyes major expansion
- Video @ Youtube.com
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