---
title: "Indian Coast Guard: Role, Mandate & Act | Model Diplomat"
description: "The Indian Coast Guard is India's maritime law-enforcement service, crucial for search-and-rescue operations and distinct from the Navy in its role."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/indian-coast-guard"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The Indian Coast Guard is an armed maritime law-enforcement and search-and-rescue service of India operating under the Ministry of Defence, established by the Coast Guard Act of 1978.
- Under which ministry does the Indian Coast Guard function?
- How does the Indian Coast Guard differ from the Indian Navy?
- What is the Indian Coast Guard's role in coastal security after 26/11?
- What enforcement powers do Coast Guard officers exercise at sea?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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## Timeline

1. 18 August 1978

   30 of 1978), which received presidential assent on .

2. 1 February 1977

   The service was formally constituted on as an interim measure under the Ministry of Defence, before the statute gave it permanent legal footing.

3. 29 June 1995

   India's accession to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), ratified on , anchors these zones in international law.

4. 26 November 2008

   In contemporary practice, the ICG's profile expanded sharply after the Mumbai attacks, when terrorists infiltrated by sea exposed coastal-security gaps.

5. 31 December 2014

   The 2014 grounding and burning of a vessel off Porbandar—where the ICG was alleged to have intercepted a suspected Pakistani boat on —generated debate over r…

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In December 2020, the Indian Coast Guard intercepted a fishing trawler off the Gujarat coast and seized roughly 300 kilograms of narcotics, an interdiction coordinated with the Anti-Terrorist Squad and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence.

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