With a view to strengthen bilateral cooperation between India and the Philippines, the Indian Coast Guard has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) of the Philippines.
This was the first bilateral meeting between the two countries on maritime issues. The Indian Coast Guard is a maritime law enforcement and search-rescue agency of India.
It was formed in 1977.
The Indian Coast Guard was established by Parliament under the Coast Guard Act, 1978 on 18 August 1978 as an independent armed force of the Union with the objective of safeguarding the Indian Ocean in peace time.
At present, the command of this force is in the hands of its Director General Anurag Gopalan Thapliyal. The Indian Coast Guard is the fourth largest Coast Guard force in the world.
