Director General of the Indian Coast Guard

The Indian Coast Guard came into being on 19 August 1978. The new service was to function under the overall command and control of a Director general. Vice Admiral V. A. Kamath, deputed from the Indian Navy, served as the first DG ICG. Appointed on 19 August 1978, he served in the capacity until 31 March 1980. Until 2016, appointees to the position of the Director General were Vice Admirals in the Indian Navy who were deputed to the Coast Guard with the exceptions of Rameshwar Singh and P. Paleri - two naval officers who were permanently deputed to the Coast Guard service after serving in the Navy. In 2016, Rajendra Singh Bisht became first Indian Coast Guard officer to serve as its Director General. ==Additional responsibilities==

Apart from heading the Coast Guard, the DGICG is also: • Chairman, National Maritime Search and Rescue Board (NMSARB) • Chairman, National Oil-spill Disaster Contingency Plan Committee (NOSDCP) • Chairman, Offshore Security Co-ordination Committee (OSCC), of which the Flag Officer Defence Advisory Group is a member. • Indian Governor to Regional Co-operation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against ships in Asia (ReCAAP) ==Insignia==

The badges of rank have a crossed sword and baton over three eight-pointed stars and the Ashoka emblem above, on a golden shoulder board. The Director General wears gorget patches which are navy blue patches with three golden stars and oak leaves under the three golden stars. In addition to this, the double-breasted reefer jacket has three golden sleeve stripes consisting of a broad band with two narrower bands. ==List of Directors General==