 "Coast Guard to celebrate growth in role, power on 48th Raising Day")
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG), which calls itself “the fourth service”, will celebrate its 48th Raising Day on Thursday.
Beginning with just seven surface ships in 1978, the ICG has grown into a professional and competent force with 152 ships and 78 aircraft in its inventory. It aims to reach a force level of 200 surface platforms and 100 aircraft by 2030.
Due to its achievements in keeping the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the northern Indian Ocean safe, the ICG claims to be one of the world’s most effective coast guards.
In line with its motto, “Vayam Rakshamah,” meaning “We Protect”, the ICG saved over 11,554 lives since its inception in 1977; of which 200 lives have been saved in 2023. “That translates into an average of one life saved every second day,” said the ICG in a public statement on Wednesday. To ensure security in India’s “Maritime Zones”, the ICG maintains a 24 x 7 vigil by deploying 50-60 ships and 10-12 aircraft daily.
The ICG is required to maintain order in the international shipping lanes, India’s vast seas and 7,500-kilometre shoreline, which provides avenues for anti-national criminals to exploit by posing as mariners at work.
The ICG has chosen the path of “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” (self-reliant India), which has resulted in inducting a large number of indigenous ships, aircraft and equipment during recent years.
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Currently, 21 more ICG ships are under construction at three shipyards. These include two “pollution control vessels”, or PCVs, which will be our frontline vessels for combating marine pollution in India’s area of reference.
To strengthen the ICG’s reach into the sky, 16 Dhruv advanced light helicopters (ALH) Mark-III have been inducted into ICG. In addition, contracts have been concluded for the procurement of two additional Dornier aircraft. Contracts for nine Dhruv ALH are likely to be finalized soon.
Alongside these, procurement of eight Dornier aircraft and six multi-mission maritime surveillance aircraft are also in the pipeline to strengthen the ICG’s operational capability.
Six Dornier aircraft have also been upgraded with state-of-the-art systems/sensors as part of 17 ICG Dornier mid-life upgrade contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), Kanpur for modernisation of ICG aircraft. Majority of its assets are indigenously manufactured with about 90 per cent of the capital budget going on indigenous assets.
In compliance with the government’s strategic vision for a ‘Digital Armed Force’, the Ministry of Defence and M/s TCIL have made a transformative agreement for the accomplishment of Digital Coast Guard mission. This is one of the ICG’s major initiatives for a paperless office.
The ICG is the central coordinating authority for oil spills response in the Indian exclusive economic zone. It has ensured that there were no major oil spills in Indian waters throughout 2023.
Furthermore, the 25th National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan meeting and 9th National Pollution Response Exercise were conducted off Vadinar in the Gulf of Kutch November 23-25 to assess the preparedness and coordination among all agencies to respond to oil spills.