Rajnath Singh confers 32 medals on Indian Coast Guard personnel
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday conferred 32 gallantry, distinguished service and meritorious service medals to the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) personnel for their exemplary service and selfless dedication to duty, often in challenging and extreme conditions.
He presented six President’s Tatrakshak medals (distinguished service), 11 Tatrakshak medals (gallantry) and 15 Tatrakshak medals (meritorious service) – for 2022, 2023 and 2024 – during the 18th ICG investiture ceremony in Delhi.
The Defence Minister congratulated the personnel and described the medals as not just a memento, but a symbol of bravery, perseverance and unwavering resolve towards maintaining the honour of the tricolour.
He commended the personnel for their efforts in ensuring coastal security, organisational efficiency, seizure of drugs, rescue operations and international exercises.
Singh highlighted the growth of the ICG into a formidable, trustworthy and one of the most efficient marine forces in the world.
“Geographically, India is surrounded by the sea on three sides and its coastline is vast. The nation’s strategic security faces two types of threats. The first is war, which is dealt by the armed forces, and the second is the challenges of piracy, terrorism, infiltration, smuggling and illegal fishing, for which the marine forces, especially ICG, are always alert. The ICG, working proactively to tackle these challenges, is a key player in ensuring strategic security,” he said.
Shedding light on the emergence of unconventional threats due to the latest technological advancements, the Defence Minister called upon the marine forces, especially the ICG, to remain alert of challenges such as cyberattacks, data breaches, signal jamming, radar disruption and GPS spoofing, in addition to conventional threats.
The Defence Minister asserted that the vision of a secure and prosperous India can only be realised if its security system is robust and the forces are strong. He reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government’s commitment to increasing the efficiency of the ICG.
“The ICG has been allocated Rs 9,676.70 crore for the Financial Year 2025-26, which is 26.50 per cent more than the previous budget. It is a crucial step towards modernising the ICG. In addition, the procurement of 14 fast patrol vessels, six air cushion vehicles, 22 interceptor boats, six next-generation offshore patrol vessels and 18 next-generation fast patrol vessels has been approved to make the ICG stronger,” he said.
Singh acknowledged the ICG’s focus on technological advancements while commending the foundation laying of the Digital Coast Guard project. “All these efforts will continuously strengthen the ICG to effectively deal with conventional and unconventional threats,” he said, assuring the government’s full support in achieving this objective.
