Rajendra Singh on Saturday assumed charge as the Director General of the Indian Coast Guard and became the first non-Navy officer to be elevated to the top post. He replaced Vice Admiral HCS Bisht who will take over as Chief of Eastern Naval Command.
Singh, who belonged to the first batch of Indian Coast Guard in 1980, was the Inspector General (West region) during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Before assuming the new responsibility, he was the Additional Director General of the Indian Coast Guard. His elevation as the Coast Guard chief was approved by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet on February 24.
He is the first officer from Coast Guard cadre to head the maritime security agency which came into being 37 years back. The top post was earlier held by officials from the Indian Navy. During his career, Singh commanded each class of Coast Guard ship in service including Interceptor Boat, Inshore Patrol Vessel, Fast Patrol Vessel, Offshore Patrol Vessel and Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel.
The officer was awarded the Tatrakshak Medal (TM) by the President on August 15, 1990. In recognition of his distinguished service, he was awarded President’s Tatrakshak Medal (PTM) on August 15, 2002.
Having served in various capacities both ashore and afloat, Singh has a track record in the field of Operations, Administration, Human Resources and Policy and Plans, officials said here.
His main responsibility as Coast Guard chief will be to maintain the momentum of modernization of the force and improve its capability to guard the 7,500 km long coastline spread over nine littoral states. The other priority is to ensure seamless co-ordination with all the stake holders in coastal security to meet any challenge, officials said. More than 13 agencies are involved in coastal security including the Navy, Coast Guard, local police, Customs, Port Authorities and Department of Fisheries besides others.