What happened: ICG officer policy reforms announced by Raksha Mantri

Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh unveiled two policy reforms for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG). The reforms aim to improve gender parity in officer induction and service conditions and to reduce delays in granting ex-gratia to the next of kin of ICG personnel who go missing at sea while on duty. The announcement was made at Kartavya Bhavan-2, New Delhi on July 28, 2026.

Background and earlier position

The Indian Coast Guard serves maritime security and related duties under the Ministry of Defence. Earlier officer induction and career progression arrangements for women officers existed through the existing Short Service Appointment (SSA) and Permanent Appointment (PA) pathways. For families of personnel missing at sea, welfare compensation and terminal benefits for the next of kin required administrative processing, and the reform announcement specifically addresses the need to avoid prolonged administrative delays.

What changed now: gender-neutral induction and career progression

The gender-neutral policy directive for ICG officer induction and career progression includes the following elements: - Women candidates can be inducted into Short Service Appointments (SSA) and Permanent Appointments (PA) on par with male counterparts. - SSA has also been opened for male candidates. - Equal opportunity for career progression is ensured, starting from ab-initio training (initial training phase). - Existing PA women officers can be considered for promotion to higher positions, subject to fulfilment of eligibility conditions. - Existing serving women officers on SSA can opt to convert their service to PA, subject to stipulated conditions.

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