Indian Coast Guard

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) protects India’s maritime interests and enforces maritime law

It has jurisdiction over the territorial waters of India, including its contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone.

The Indian Coast Guard was formally established on 18 August 1978 by the Coast Guard Act, 1978 of the Parliament of India as an independent Armed force of India.

The blueprint for the formation of the Indian Coast Guard was conceived by the Rustamji Committee.

As the fourth largest Coast Guard in the world, it has played a significant role in securing the Indian coasts and enforcing regulations in the maritime zones of India.

It is responsible for marine environment protection in maritime zones of India and is coordinating authority for response to oil spills in Indian waters.

It is an Armed Force, Search and Rescue and Maritime Law Enforcement agency under the Ministry of Defence.

For effective command and control, the Maritime Zones of India are divided into five Coast Guard Regions, namely, North-West, West, East, North-East and Andaman & Nicobar, with the respective Regional Headquarters located at Gandhinagar, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Port Blair.

Environment Protection: It is responsible for marine environment protection in maritime zones of India and is coordinating authority for response to oil spills in Indian waters.

Aid to Civil Authority: It has also rescued approximately 13,000 personnel till date during various ‘Aid to Civil Authority’ operations viz. assistance provided to civil authorities during floods, cyclones and other natural calamities; most recently during the recent floods in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa.

It is also working in close coordination with Central and State agencies to put in place a robust coastal security mechanism.

Maritime Security: It is also collaborating with littoral countries to combat transnational maritime crimes and enhance maritime safety in its area of responsibility and in the Indian Ocean Region.

Under SAGAR’ – Security and Growth for all in the Region & ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, the ICG has nurtured professional relationships across oceans and established ties with countries in the Indian Ocean Region for Ocean Peacekeeping.

Role in Disaster Management: The ICG has successfully averted major ecological disasters and emerged as the ‘First Responder’ in the region.

For example, by undertaking a major fire-fighting and pollution response operation off the Sri Lanka coast, the most recent being ‘Sagar Aaraksha-II’ onboard Chemical carrier MV X-Press Pearl.