New Delhi: With the manifold increase in the Indian Coast Guard’s (ICG) responsibility since the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, the government has decided to enhance its budgetary allocations to aid its modernization and expansion from 2012-27, a parliamentary panel was informed by the defense ministry.
The defense ministry informed the Parliamentary Standing Committee that it had prepared a perspective plan for 2007-2022 with an outlay of Rs.49,377.33 crore (about $10 billion) for a 15-year period.
But after the Mumbai terror attack, the outlay was now “under revision”, the panel said in its report tabled in parliament Thursday.
The proposed ICG perspective plan for 2007-22 initially had a total outlay of Rs.16,592.56 crore (about $3.5 billion) as revenue expenditure and Rs.32,784.77 crore (about $6.5 billion) as capital expenditure.
“Post-26/11, it was decided to consider revision of the ICG outlay for the period (2007-12) and the revised outlay stood at Rs.7,930.22 crore (over $1.5 billion),” the report said.
“As we are closer to the end of the 2007-12 period and also that the 2012-17 period is likely to be promulgated, it was decided to ensure a comprehensive perspective plan for 2012-27 instead of revising the 2007-22 plan.”
“Therefore, the envisaged expenditure involved in the upgrade of ICG force levels during 2007-22 shall have no relevance at this stage,” the panel’s report quoted the defense ministry as saying.
The report also said the ministry further noted that the ICG plan for 2012-22 is under formulation on the basis of broad guidelines, which include ICG operational deployment plan vis-a-vis “statutory duties, current threat perception and national security scenario, infrastructure support facility requirement for optimum utilization of operational assets and manpower requirement.”
The deadlines for upgrade, the ministry informed the panel, will be approved when the ICG perspective plan for 2012-27 is cleared.
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