Indian Coast Guard

India needed a sea force for police work, not war. A warship is a costly tool for chasing small boats. For years, the Navy asked the government for a separate service to do such tasks.

What problems pushed the idea?

By the early 1970s, three problems stood out.

• Smuggling by sea was rampant. It hurt the economy.
• Weak tools. Customs and the Fisheries Department could not stop it. They could not even catch illegal boats near the coast.
• Oil at sea. Oil was found at Bombay High, now Mumbai High. The new offshore rigs needed protection and disaster help.

Which committees asked for it?

Two committees came first.

1. The Nag Committee was set up in 1970 to study smuggling. It said India needed a separate marine force.
2. A second committee was set up in September 1974. K.F. Rustamji led it. He was a former chief of the Border Security Force (BSF).

The Rustamji Committee gave its report in 1975. It strongly backed a “Coast Guard” type body to police India’s seas.

Do not mix up the two years. The committee was set up in 1974. Its report came in 1975.

How did the force start?

In 1977, the Union Cabinet approved a Coast Guard. The Navy gave it two frigates and five patrol boats. So the new force began on 1 February 1977 with just seven ships.

That is why 1 February is the Coast Guard’s Raising Day. Raising Day is the birthday of a force.

When did it become a full force by law?

The Coast Guard Act, 1978 (Act 30 of 1978) followed. Its text carries a notification, SRO 10(E), dated 18 August 1978.

The next day, 19 August 1978, Prime Minister Morarji Desai formally opened the force. Vice Admiral V.A. Kamath was its first Director General (DG).

What happened on the first day?

The Navy flag came down on INS Kuthar. The Coast Guard flag went up in its place. From that moment, the ship was called ICGS Kuthar. It was the first Coast Guard ship.

It is an armed force of the Union. Section 4 of the Coast Guard Act says so in plain words. Its aim is to keep India’s sea zones safe.

Who is in charge of it?

Section 5 of the Act gives control to the Central Government. Under the government, the DG commands the force.

The DG has help from senior officers. These include Inspectors-General, Deputy Inspectors-General and Commandants.

The Coast Guard works under the Ministry of Defence. Its motto is “Vayam Rakshamah”. It means “We Protect”.

Is it a police force like the BSF?

No. Keep the words of the Act in mind. The Act calls the Coast Guard an armed force of the Union. Do not file it with police forces in your notes.

Which waters does the Act cover?

The Act uses the phrase “maritime zones of India”. Maritime means “of the sea”. The Act lists these zones:

• the territorial waters,
• the contiguous zone,
• the continental shelf,
• the exclusive economic zone (EEZ),
• and any other sea zone of India.

How far out do these zones go?

A 1976 law sets the limits. Distances are counted from the baseline. The baseline is a line drawn along the coast.

• Territorial waters end 12 nautical miles from the baseline. A nautical mile is a sea mile.
• The EEZ ends 200 nautical miles from the baseline. In the EEZ, India controls fish, oil and other sea wealth.

So the Coast Guard’s field is wide. It runs from the shore out to the edge of the EEZ.

Its main duty is to protect India’s interests in its sea zones. Section 14 of the Act sets this duty. The force may use any measures it thinks fit.

Which jobs does the Act list?

Section 14 gives clear examples.

• Guard sea platforms. Keep artificial islands, offshore terminals and rigs safe.
• Help fishermen. Protect them, and help them when they are in trouble at sea.
• Clean seas. Protect the marine environment and control pollution at sea.
• Stop smuggling. Help Customs and other bodies catch smugglers.
• Enforce sea laws. Apply the laws in force in the sea zones.

Does it do anything else?

Yes. On patrol, its ships collect weather and ocean data. Scientists use this data.

The force’s mission also says it must back up the Navy in war. So it has a wartime role too.

How does it rescue people at sea?

Rescue centres sit with each regional headquarters. They are called Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCCs). They plan and run search and rescue (SAR) work.

The Coast Guard also holds Community Interaction Programmes for fishing families. These teach safety at sea. They also teach how to look after boats and nets.

How many lives has it saved?

In February 2026, the Defence Minister (Raksha Mantri) gave a count. He said the force had saved over 11,800 lives at sea since it began.

The force is run from Coast Guard Headquarters in New Delhi. The DG sits there. Below the DG, two commanders split the coast in half.

• One commands the Western Sea Board.
• One commands the Eastern Sea Board.

What are the five regions?

The coast is split into five regions. Each has a regional headquarters.

How many districts are there?

There are 16 districts, numbered 1 to 16. Some older notes say 12. That number is out of date.

Each coastal state does not get just one district. Gujarat has two. Tamil Nadu has three. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have three as well.

A few examples help:

• No. 1 is at Porbandar, in Gujarat.
• No. 4 is at Kochi, in Kerala.
• No. 7 is at Paradip, in Odisha.
• No. 12 is at Kavaratti, for Lakshadweep and Minicoy.

The three island districts are at Diglipur (No. 9), Campbell Bay (No. 10) and Sri Vijaya Puram (No. 14).

Who heads the force now?

Paramesh Sivamani is the 26th DG of the Coast Guard. He first held the DG post as extra charge in August 2024. He then took full charge as DG.

What ships does it use?

Its large ships are offshore patrol vessels (OPVs). These are big patrol ships for long trips at sea. The ICG lists five OPV classes:

• Vikram class
• Sachet class
• Samarth class
• Samar class
• Sankalp class

It also uses smaller fast patrol vessels and hovercraft. A hovercraft rides on a cushion of air. It is amphibious, so it works over both water and land.

What aircraft does it fly?

• Dornier 228, a twin-engine plane for sea patrol. It is made by HAL.
• Chetak, a helicopter used for search and rescue.
• Dhruv, the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH). It is built in India.

The Coast Guard got Chetak helicopters in 1982. Its first air squadron, 800 Squadron, began on 22 May 1982 at Dabolim, Goa.

Do not quote a total ship count. No current official count was found for this lesson.

After 26/11, the Navy got overall charge of sea security. The Coast Guard got coastal security in territorial waters. These roles were set after the attacks on Mumbai in 2008. The sea security set-up changed a great deal after them.

What exactly did each force get?

• Indian Navy: overall maritime security. This includes offshore and coastal security.
• Indian Coast Guard: coastal security in territorial waters. This includes waters patrolled by the State Marine Police.

The Coast Guard says it got this extra role in February 2009. It also links the work of central and state bodies on coastal security.

How do the Coast Guard and the marine police work together?

They follow a hub-and-spoke plan. Think of a bicycle wheel.

• The hubs are Coast Guard stations.
• The spokes are coastal police stations.

The Coast Guard has trained marine police since 2006. The course has three weeks of classes. It ends with one week of training on the job.

How does it watch the coast?

It runs a radar chain called the Coastal Surveillance Network (CSN). The network has radars, cameras and ship-tracking sensors at 46 locations along the coast and islands.

Is the “12 to 200 nautical miles” rule right?

No. Many notes say the Coast Guard patrols only from 12 to 200 nautical miles. That is too simple.

• Its coastal security role covers territorial waters, the first 12 nautical miles.
• Its legal field under the Act covers all the sea zones, including the EEZ.

So the Coast Guard works both close to shore and far out at sea.

The force is adding new ships made in India. It also turned 50 in 2026. It will host a world summit in 2027.

What is the Adamya class?

ICGS Adamya is the first of eight new fast patrol vessels. It was commissioned at Paradip on 19 September 2025. To commission a ship means to take it into service.

• It is 51 metres long.
• It has over 60% content made in India.
• Its top speed is 28 knots. A knot is one sea mile per hour.
• “Adamya” means “indomitable”, which means hard to defeat.

On 24 October 2025, ICGS Ajit and ICGS Aparajit were launched at Goa Shipyard. They are the seventh and eighth ships of the series.

What is ICGS Akshay?

ICGS Akshay is a new fast patrol vessel. It was commissioned on 27 June 2026 at Goa Shipyard Limited, Goa. Goa Shipyard designed and built it. “Akshay” means “Indestructible”.

What is the new hovercraft?

On 18 June 2026, the first of six hovercraft made in India joined the force in Goa. The official name is Air Cushion Vehicle (ACV).

• Builder: Chowgule & Company, Goa.
• Contract: signed on 24 October 2024.
• Cost: ₹387.44 crore for six ACVs.
• Uses: fast coastal patrols, scouting, catching suspect boats, and search and rescue.

These were the first such hovercraft to be made in India.

How did the force mark 50 years?

The 50th Raising Day was held in New Delhi on 1 February 2026. The Defence Minister unveiled the Swarnim Jayanti logo. Swarnim Jayanti means golden jubilee, or 50 years. He also released a 50-year stamp.

He asked the force to make a plan for the next 25 years. The plan should aim at Viksit Bharat @ 2047, the goal of a developed India.

What is the Coast Guard Global Summit?

It is a meeting of coast guards from many nations. India will host the 5th Coast Guard Global Summit (CGGS) in New Delhi in February 2027. It falls in the force’s golden jubilee.

A working-level meeting for it was held on 19 August 2026. The summit will reflect India’s MAHASAGAR vision for the seas.

What is “Bharatiya Tatrakshak”?

It is the Hindi name of the force. Recent official releases use it often. The Act and the force’s own site still say “Indian Coast Guard”.

Exams test dates, the ministry and the split of roles at sea. Watch for these traps.

What are the common traps?

1. Three years. The force began on 1 February 1977. The Act is of 1978. It was opened on 19 August 1978.
2. Which ministry? It is the Ministry of Defence, not Home Affairs.
3. Region and district count. It is 5 regions and 16 districts, not 12.
4. Navy or Coast Guard? The Navy has overall maritime security. The Coast Guard has coastal security in territorial waters.
5. Which shipyard? Goa Shipyard built ICGS Akshay, the Adamya-class ships and OPV Sajag.

Which past questions have come up?

Here are three questions, newest exam first.

All four items fall under the Ministry of Defence. Item 4 is the Coast Guard.

OPV Sajag was commissioned on 29 May 2021. Goa Shipyard built it.

Statement 3 matches the official role word for word. Be careful with statement 1. Official releases give overall maritime security, including offshore security, to the Navy. We have not seen the official answer key for this question. So learn statement 3 as the safe fact.