Defence Minister Unveils Major Indian Coast Guard Reforms for Gender Equality and Family Welfare

NEW DELHI, July 28 — Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today unveiled two landmark policy initiatives for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) at Kartavya Bhavan-2 in New Delhi, introducing a gender-neutral framework for officer recruitment and eliminating administrative delays for families of personnel missing at sea.

Attended by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, ICG Director General Paramesh Sivamani, and senior officials, the event highlighted the government’s push under Narendra Modi to strengthen the ICG into a modern, future-ready force as it approaches its Golden Jubilee in 2027. Under the new gender-parity directive, women candidates can now be inducted into both Short Service Appointments (SSA) and Permanent Appointments (PA) on equal footing with men, with SSA also opened to male candidates. The policy guarantees equal career progression starting from initial training, allows existing permanent female officers to be considered for promotions to higher ranks, and offers serving female SSA officers the option to convert to permanent commissions.

To support families during times of crisis, the second policy reform empowers designated authorities to declare personnel missing at sea while on duty as “presumed dead” specifically for financial relief, ensuring that the next of kin receive ex-gratia compensation and terminal benefits quickly without undergoing prolonged legal and administrative delays.