to fishermen and mariners at sea Preservation and protection of marine ecology and environment including pollution control Assistance to the Department of Customs and other authorities in anti-smuggling operations Law enforcement in territorial as well as international waters Scientific data collection and support National defence during hostilities (under the operational control of the Indian Navy) Additional responsibilities of the Indian Coast Guard: Offshore Security Coordination Committee (OSCC) – The Director-General of the Indian Coast Guard is the Chairman of OSCC constituted by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), of which the Flag Officer Defence Advisory Group is a member. National Maritime Search and Rescue Coordinating Authority (NMSARCA) – The Director-General of the Indian Coast Guard is the NMSARCA for executing / coordinating search and rescue (SAR) missions Lead Intelligence Agency (LIA) – For coastal and sea borders Coastal Security – The Director-General of the Indian Coast Guard is the commander of coastal command and is responsible for overall coordination between central and state agencies in all matters relating to coastal security Leadership and organisation The Indian Coast Guard organisation is headed by the Director-General (DG ICG) who is located at Coast Guard Headquarters (CGHQ), New Delhi. At CGHQ, he is assisted by four Deputy Director-Generals of the rank of Inspector-General, and other senior officers heading various staff divisions. The current Director-General is Virender Singh Pathania, PTM, TM. Director-General of Indian Coast Guard is equivalent to Vice admiral of Indian Navy. The Indian Coast Guard operates five regions. Each region is headed by an officer of the rank of Inspector-General. Each of the regions is further divided into multiple districts, typically covering a coastal state or a union territory. By the end of 2012, the Indian Coast Guard is on track to operate: 42 Coast Guard Stations 5 Coast Guard Air Stations 10 Coast Guard Air Enclaves Organization There are currently 42 Coast Guard stations which have been established along the coastline of the country. Personnel Officer rank structure A table showing the rank structure of Coast Guard officers with those of the other Indian armed services. Coast Guard officers The naming of ranks of officers in the Coast Guard is as same as rank of Central Armed Police Forces. Officers are appointed in the Coast Guard in one of four branches, as either General-Duty officer, Pilot officer, Technical officer or Law officers. Lady Officers have two branches i.e.