Indian Coast Guard Day is celebrated on February 1 every year. Coast Day Guardis celebrated in honour of organisations from every country that look after maritime security and also the need of a country. This year, India will be observing the 46th IndianCoast Guard Day. The post of a Coast Guard holds responsibilities of volunteering, searching, and holding rescue operations and also guarding the borders of our country. On Indian Coast Guard Day, read about its significance, history and theme for this year.
History and Significance of Indian Coast Guard Day
On 18 August 1978, the Indian Coast Guard(ICG) Day was enacted by the Parliament of India. The interim Indian Coast Guard was established on February 1, 1977, to prevent sea-borne smuggling of goods that hampered India’s domestic economy. Since its inception, the ICG has saved more than 10,000 lives and apprehended around 14,000 miscreants.
The Indian Coast Guard is headed by the Director-General, who is located at the headquarters in New Delhi. The current Director-General is Virender Singh Pathania.
The work of Indian Coast Guard varies for multiple fields. This organisation works for multi-missions. It is a collaboration of the Indian Navy, the Customs Department and the Police. The guard is allotted different regions. The North-West region is situated in Gandhinagar, Gujrat, the East region in Chennai, and the North East region in Kolkata and Andaman and Nicobar regions.
The Theme of Indian Coast Guard Day
Currently, Indian Coast Guard has 156 ships and 62 aircraft. The organisation is planning to make 200 ships and 100 twin-engined aircraft by 2025. They also select a theme every year, but the theme for this year is not yet decided. After the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008, the Government of India initiated a programme to expand the Indian Coast Guard force, assets and infrastructure.
