Indian Coast Guard
Indian Coast Guard crest
Racing stripe
Ensign
Abbreviation	ICG
Motto	वयम् रक्षामः (Sanskrit) Vayam Rakṣāmaḥ (ISO)[1] We Protect
Agency overview
Formed	18 August 1978 (1978-08-18)
Employees	13,842 sanctioned strength (2018–19)[2]
Annual budget	₹9,676 crore (US$1.1 billion)[3]
Legal personality	Law enforcement
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction	India
Governing body	Government of India
Constituting instrument	The Coast Guard Act, 1978
Specialist jurisdiction	Coastal patrol, marine border protection, marine search and rescue.
Operational structure
Headquarters	Indian Coast Guard Headquarters,New Delhi
Agency executive	Paramesh Sivamani,Director General[4]
Parent agency	Ministry of Defence
Facilities
Boats	3pollution control vessels 25offshore patrol vessels 43 fastpatrol vessels 82patrol boats 28patrol craft 14hovercraft 06 Aux barge
Planes	77 aircraft[5]
Notables
Anniversary	Coast Guard Day: 1 February
Website
indiancoastguard.gov.in

TheIndian Coast Guard (ICG) is amaritime law enforcement andsearch and rescue agency ofIndia with jurisdiction over itsterritorial waters including its contiguous zone andexclusive economic zone. It was started on 1 February 1977 and formally established on 18 August 1978 by theCoast Guard Act, 1978 of theParliament of India.^[6] It operates under theMinistry of Defence.^[7]

The ICG works in close cooperation with theIndian Navy, theDepartment of Fisheries, theDepartment of Revenue(Customs), and the Coastal Police of theState Police Forces, and theCentral Armed Police Forces.

The establishment of the Indian Coast Guard was first proposed by theIndian Navy to provide non-military maritime services to the nation.^[8] 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.

TheNagchaudhuri Committee was constituted with participation from the Indian Navy and theIndian Air Force to study the problem. In August 1971, the committee identified the requirement to patrol India's vast coastline, set up a registry of offshore fishing vessels 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 those services.^[8]

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

As a result, in September 1974, the Indian cabinet set up theRustamji Committee, under the chairmanship ofKhusro Faramurz Rustamji, with participation from the Navy, theAir 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 offBombay High further emphasised 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 Defence on 31 July 1975. Bureaucratic wrangling followed, with the Cabinet Secretary making a recommendation to place the service under theMinistry of Home Affairs. ThenPrime MinisterIndira Gandhi overruled the Cabinet Secretary and decided to accept the original recommendation of the Rustamji Committee to place the service under the Ministry of Defence.^[8]

An interim Indian Coast Guard came into being on 1 February 1977, equipped with two smallcorvettes and fivepatrol boats transferred from the Navy. The duties and functions of the service were formally defined in theCoast Guard Act, which was passed by India's parliament on 18 August 1978 and came into immediate effect.^[6]

Vice AdmiralV. A. Kamath of the Indian Navy was appointed the founding Director-General. Prime MinisterMorarji Desai inspected the Guard of Honour at the service's inauguration. Vice Admiral Kamath proposed a five-year plan to develop the ICG into a potent force by 1984, but the full potential of this plan was not immediately realised due to an economic resource crunch.^[8]

One of the historic operational successes of the ICG occurred in October 1999, with the recapture at high seas of a Panamanian-registered Japanese cargo ship,MV Alondra Rainbow, hijacked off Indonesia. Her crew were rescued offPhuket, Thailand. The ship had been repainted as MVMega Rama, and was spotted offKochi, heading towards Pakistan. She was chased byICGS Tarabai andINS Prahar (K98) of the Indian Navy and apprehended.^[9] It was the first successful prosecution of armed pirates in over a century.

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 thePakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA). In 2006, the Indian Coast Guard conducted exercises with itsJapanese andKorean counterparts.

After the2008 Mumbai attacks in which the terrorists entered India from Pakistan via the sea-route, the Indian government initiated a program to expand the ICG force, assets and infrastructure for enhanced protection and surveillance of Indian waters.

The force aims to have 200 ships and 100 twin-engined aircraft by 2030 in its fleet. As of January 2025, ICG deploys 55 to 60 ships and 10 to 12 aircraft daily.^[10]

The Indian Coast Guard's motto is "वयम रक्षामः" (Vayam Rakshamah), which translates fromSanskrit as"We Protect".

Missions of Indian Coast Guard:^[11]

• Safety and protection of artificial islands, offshore terminals and other installations
• Protection and assistance to fishermen and mariners at sea
• Preservation and protection ofmarine ecology and environment including pollution control
• Assistance to the Department of Customs and other authorities in anti-smuggling operations
• Law enforcement in territorial as well asinternational waters
• Scientific data collection and support
• National defence during hostilities (under the operational control of the Indian Navy)

Additional responsibilities of the Indian Coast Guard:^[12]

• Offshore Security Coordination Committee (OSCC) – The Director-General of the Indian Coast Guard is the Chairman of OSCC constituted by theMinistry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), of which theFlag Officer Defence Advisory Group is a member.
• National Maritime Search and Rescue Coordinating Authority (NMSARCA) – The Director-General of the Indian Coast Guard is the NMSARCA for executing / coordinatingsearch and rescue (SAR) missions
• Lead Intelligence Agency (LIA) – For coastal and sea borders
• Coastal Security – The Director-General of the Indian Coast Guard is the commander of coastal command and is responsible for overall coordination between central and state agencies in all matters relating to coastal security

The Indian Coast Guard organisation is headed by theDirector-General (DG ICG) who is located at Coast Guard Headquarters (CGHQ), New Delhi. At CGHQ, he is assisted by the Additional Director General Coast Guard (ADGCG) of the rank of ADG, four Deputy Director-Generals of the rank ofInspector-General, and other senior officers heading various staff divisions. Director General Paramesh Sivamani is the 26th Director General of Indian Coast Guard.The rank of Director General is equivalent to aVice Admiral ofIndian Navy.^[13]

The Indian Coast Guard has the Western and Eastern Seaboard, both commanded bythree-star officers designated Coast Guard Commander Western Seaboard and Coast Guard Commander Eastern Seaboard. The seaboards are in turn divided into four regions. A fifth region, Andaman & Nicobar Region reports directly to the DGICG. Each region is headed by an officer of the rank ofInspector-General. Each of the regions is further divided into multiple districts, typically covering a coastalstate or a union territory.

As of 2023, the Indian Coast Guard operates:^[14]

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

As of 2016, there are 42 Coast Guard stations which have been established along the coastline of the country.^[15][16]

Indian Coast Guard is responsible for the execution ofSearch and Rescue (SAR) operations in the Indian Search and Rescue Region (ISRR). To serve this purpose, ICG operates 3 Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCC) in Mumbai, Chennai and Port Blair and 36 Maritime Rescue Sub Centres (MRSC/MRCSC), which operates under their respective MRCCs.^[17]

On 5 November 2024, the Indian Coast Guard and theTelecommunications Consultants India (TICL) laid foundation of a full-fledged "Tier-3"Data Centre atMahipalpur,Delhi. The construction will take 2 years. The project worth₹588crore (US$70 million) (including 5-year operational expenditure (opex) and a 2-year hardware warranty) will be carried out by TCIL, Yotta Infrastructure and Attero, a software solution company. This will help ICG forCommand and Control over their 109 offices and 88 ships at once.^[18][19]

A table showing the rank structure of Coast Guard officers with those of the other Indian armed services.^[38]

The naming of ranks of officers in the Coast Guard is as same as rank ofCentral Armed Police Forces. Officers are appointed in the Coast Guard in one of four branches, as either General-Duty officer, Pilot officer, Technical officer or Law officers. Lady Officers have two branches i.e. General-Duty Officer or Pilot Officer and serve on shore establishments/Air Stations/Headquarters. They are not deployed on board Indian Coast Guard ships.

Currently, officers of Indian Coast Guard undergo Basic Military Training at theIndian Naval Academy,Ezhimala along with their counterparts of Indian Navy. This helps in the mutual interchange of Officers among these two sister services. While theIndian Coast Guard Academy is under construction inMangaluru,Dakshina Kannada district,Karnataka.^[39]

General-Duty Officers

The command of ships at sea can only be exercised by officers of the General-Duty (GD) branch. The key functions of a General-Duty Officer would be to operate weapons, sensors and different kinds of equipment on board a ship. The safety of the ship and the men would be GD officers responsibility. All the District Commanders (COMDIS) and Commander of Coast Guard Region (COMCG) appointments are exercised by a GD Officer of the Indian Coast Guard.

Pilot Officers

Pilot Officers are also part of GD branch. A Pilot Officer gets an opportunity to work at shore Air Stations along the Indian coasts and also embark ships. ICG operates fixed wing aircraft forsurveillance of theExclusive Economic Zone. In addition, helicopters are embarked on Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) to provide local surveillance and performsearch and rescue mission at sea.

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.

Law Officers

Law Officers act as legal advisers to their respective commanders. They represent the Indian Coast Guard in legal actions filed by or against the organisation. They also perform the duties of trial law officers in Coast Guard courts, convened to try delinquent Coast Guard personnel. The Directorate of Law at Coast Guard Headquarters is headed by a Deputy Inspector-General and is designated as the Chief Law Officer. Section 115 of the Coast Guard Act, 1978 deals with the qualifications necessary to be appointed as the Chief Law Officer of Indian Coast Guard. Section 116 of the Coast Guard Act, 1978 defines the functions of the Chief Law Officer.^[6]

Enrolled personnel in the Coast Guard serve as either ayantrik (technician) ornavik (sailor).^[40]

• 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-Dutynaviks serve as sailors, weapons systems operators, communication specialists, divers, etc. or in specific maritime or aviation support roles.
  • The Domestic branchnaviks serve in roles such as stewards, cooks, etc. on board Coast Guard vessels.

Enrolled personnel of Indian Coast Guard are trained along with Indian Naval sailors at the naval training establishmentINS Chilka. All training undertaken by Coast Guard personnel is the same as those undertaken by sailors in the Indian Navy. All personnel are trained in operation of weapons systems in cases of emergency.

Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia ofcommissioned officers.

Rank group	General/flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers
Indian Coast Guard[41] v t e
					Director general	Additional director general	Inspector general		Deputy inspector general (3-year seniority)		Deputy inspector general		Commandant	Commandant (Junior Grade)	Deputy commandant		Assistant commandant		Assistant commandant (under probation)			Assistant commandant (after phase II)

Other ranks

The rank insignia ofnon-commissioned officers andenlisted personnel.

Rank group	Subordinate Officers (SO)										Non commissioned officers (NCO)																		Enlisted
Indian Coast Guard[41] v t e																																			No insignia
	Pradhan Adhikari Pradhan Sahayak Engineer						Uttam Adhikari Uttam Sahayak Engineer		Adhikari Sahayak Engineer		Pradhan Navik Pradhan Yantrik												Uttam Navik Uttam Yantrik												Navik Yantrik

As of November 2024, the Indian Coast Guard has a strength of 182 ships and 78 aircraft while it plans to have 200 ships and 100 aircraft by 2030. At any given time, 55 to 60 surface platforms and 10 to 12 aircraft are deployed on patrol daily.^[42][43]

The Indian Coast guard expects to become a leading player inmaritime security around theIndian Ocean. With a target set to triple its surface fleet strength by the turn of this decade, ICG has placed orders for 131 surveillance platforms that are already under construction inIndian shipyards and is in the process of signing contracts for building another 200 platforms.^[44] Contracts have been signed for state-of-the-artair cushion vehicles and advanced communication systems^[45]

The Indian Coast Guard has been allotted Rs 9,676.70 crore under Capital and Revenue Head of theUnion Budget 2025 which is a 26.5% increase over the previous years. The funds will be used for the acquisition of moreALH,Dornier Do 228, Fast Patrol Vessels (FPVs), Training Ships and Interceptor Boats to augment current capacity.^[46]

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