Introduction
The Indian Coast Guard is a multi-mission organization, conducting round-the-year real-life operations at sea. Despite being relatively small, it has a wide range of task capabilities for both surface and air operations.
The organization is headed by the Director General Indian Coast Guard (DGICG) exercising his overall command and superintendence from the Coast Guard Headquarters (CGHQ) located at New Delhi.
At CGHQ, he is assisted by four Deputy Director Generals of the rank of Inspector General, and other senior officers heading various staff divisions.
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. The Coast Guard Regions are commanded by Officers of the rank of Inspector General.
Life onboard a Coast Guard ship is engaging, adventurous and challenging. From saving human lives at sea and assisting fishermen in peril, to apprehending poachers and preserving marine biodiversity, job satisfaction comes easy to a "Coast Guardsman". Each day at sea is filled with promise, and each mission is different in an inimitable way.
Onboard every Coast Guard ship, there is a balanced mix of officers and sailors, belonging to different branches, divided into three groups, with each group working at respective stations twice for four hours every day, when the ship is at sea. In addition, during an emergent situation, all personnel close-up irrespective of time, day or night. A boat is sometimes launched from the ship to check another vessel at sea, or to provide technical or medical assistance. If so warranted, and to pursue fleeing offenders, the boat can even land ashore and engage culprits, sometimes with use of force.
