Rakesh Pal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Allegiance |  India |
| Service/ |  Indian Coast Guard |
| Years of service | 1989 - present |
| Rank |   Director General |
| Commands held |
|
| Awards | President's Tatrakshak Medal Tatrakshak Medal |
Rakesh Pal, PTM, TM is a serving flag officer of the Indian Coast Guard. He currently serves as the 25th Director General of the Indian Coast Guard.
Pal hails from Uttar Pradesh. After his schooling, he attended the Indian Naval Academy and joined the Indian Coast Guard in January 1989. [1] [2]
Pal specialised in Gunnery & Weapons Systems. He attended the gunnery school of the Indian Navy, INS Dronacharya in Kochi. He holds the recognition of being the first Gunner of Indian Coast Guard. He later attended an Electro-Optics Fire Control Solution course in the United Kingdom. [3] [4]
Pal has commanded all classes of ship in the Coast Guard. He commanded the Interceptor boat ICGS C-03, the Inshore patrol vessel ICGS Ahalyabai and the fast patrol vessel ICGS ICGS Sucheta Kriplani. He also commanded the Vishwast-class offshore patrol vessel ICGS Vijit and the lead ship of her-class of advance offshore patrol vessels, ICGS Samarth. Pal has also commanded two forward-area coast guard bases in Gujarat, Coast Guard Station Okha and Coast Guard Station Vadinar. [3]
In his staff appointments, Pal has served as the Director (Infra & Works) and as the Principal Director (Administration), both at Coast Guard Headquarters, New Delhi. [5]
On elevation to the Flag rank, Pal was appointed Commander Coast Guard Region (North West) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. As the Region Commander, in the rank of Inspector General, he was responsible for ICG's mandated charter including maritime surveillance of Gujarat, Daman & Diu, coordination towards coastal security with state governments and Maritime Search and Rescue (MSAR). [6] He later served as the Deputy Director General (Policy & Plans) at CGHQ. In February 2022, he was promoted to three-star rank and appointed Additional Director General Coast Guard (ADGICG). In February 2023, he was given additional charge of Director General. [3]
Natarajan was awarded the President's Tatrakshak Medal in 2018 and the Tatrakshak Medal in 2013. [7]
Pal is married to Dipa Pal. The couple has two daughters - Snehal and Tarushi. Pal is an ardent music lover and an avid sports enthusiast. [7]
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is a maritime law enforcement and search and rescue agency of India with jurisdiction over its territorial waters including its contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone. It was formally established on 1 February 1977 by the Coast Guard Act, 1978 of the Parliament of India. It operates under the Ministry of Defence.
L&T fast interceptor craft are a series of high-speed interceptor boats being built by L&T Shipyard for the Indian Coast Guard. The ships are intended for patrol and rescue operations in India's Exclusive Economic Zone.
The Rani Abbakka-class patrol vessel are a series of inshore patrol vessels being built by Hindustan Shipyard Ltd. for the Indian Coast Guard. They are based on Australian Thornycroft design. The ship, incidentally, is named after Abbakka Mahadevi, the legendary queen of Tulunadu, Karnataka who fought the Portuguese in the latter half of the 16th Century.
The Samudra-class Pollution Control Vessel is a class of three vessels built by the ABG Shipyard in Gujarat for Indian Coast Guard.
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The Jija Bai class were seven mid-shore patrol vessels of the Indian Coast Guard, designed by Sumidagawa Shipyard Co. Ltd., Tokyo, and jointly built by Sumidagawa and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, Kolkata between 1983 and 1985.
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The Vishwast-class offshore patrol vessels are series of three offshore patrol vessels built by Goa Shipyard Limited, Vasco da Gama, Goa for the Indian Coast Guard.
ICGS Samarth is the Indian Coast Guard's latest and largest Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV). Samarth is first in the series of six 105m offshore patrol vessels and has been built by Goa Shipyard Limited. The vessel was commissioned to coast guard service on 10 November 2015 by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. Samarth is based in Goa and will be extensively used for Exclusive Economic Zone and other duties as it is set to be exploited extensively on the Western Seaboard. The vessel will be under the command of a Deputy Inspector-General.
The Director General of the Indian Coast Guard is the head of the Indian Coast Guard. The DG ICG has their office in the Coast Guard Headquarters (CGHQ) in New Delhi. Appointed by the Government of India, the DG ICG reports to the Minister of Defence. The Director General is assisted by four Deputy Directors General, each holding the rank of inspector-general, and other senior officers heading various staff divisions. The Additional Director General of the ICG serves as the second-in-command to the Director General.
Rajendra Singh Bisht, PTM, TM is a retired Indian Coast Guard officer who served as the 22nd Director General of the Indian Coast Guard. He was the first Indian Coast Officer to serve as the Director General of ICG. Prior to him the position of DG ICG was held by Vice Admiral ranked officer from the Indian Navy.
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