Indian Coast Guard Day

The Indian Coast Guard Day is celebrated on February 1 every year to honour organisations that look after maritime safety.

On August 18, 1978, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Day was officially established by the Indian Parliament to be celebrated on February 1.

The Indian Coast Guard is responsible to safeguard and protect the coastline of India which includes 9 states (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal) and union territories (Daman and Diu and Puducherry).

On August 12, 2008, the Department of Posts, India issued a set of four commemorative postage stamps on Indian Coast Guard which I share as a miniature sheet issue with this post. The miniature sheet depicts the coordinated air and surface capability of the Indian Coast Guard against a backdrop of a serene blue sea merging with clear skies in the horizon.

The stamps have been designed to highlight the relationship between the Maritime Waters of India and the Indian Coast Guard. The first two stamps highlight the air capabilities of the Indian Coast Guard, showing a Dornier Fixed Wing Aircraft and an Advanced Light Helicopter. The Dornier has played a major role in locating vessels in distress, intercepting suspected pirates and spotting vessels carrying contraband. The Advanced Light Helicopter and the Chetak are extremely well suited for rescue operations at sea. Both also act as a communication link during operations at sea. The surface capability of the Coast Guard is shown through stamps depicting a Hover Craft and an Advance Offshore Patrol Vessel. The Hover Craft is an amphibious vessel capable of both near shore and deep sea operations. Patrol vessels are the mainstay of the Coast Guard. They are well armed and capable of dealing with a variety of emergencies at sea.