31 Jan 2021: PIB Summary & Analysis

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Indian Coast Guard
2. India International Silk Fair

1. Indian Coast Guard

Context:

45th Raising Day of the Indian Coast Guard.

Indian Coast Guard:

• February 1 is celebrated as the Raising Day of the Indian Coast Guard.

• The Indian Coast Guard is a maritime law enforcement agency and a search and rescue agency
that operates to protect India’s long coastline and maritime interests.
• It was established in 1977.
• Currently, the force has 156 ships and 62 aircraft in its inventory.
• As the fourth largest Coast Guard in the world, the Indian Coast Guard has played a significant
role in securing the Indian Coasts and enforcing regulations within the Maritime Zones of India.
• Its motto is “Vayam Rakshamah” meaning “We Protect”.

Coast Guard Structure:

• The organization is headed by the Director-General Indian Coast Guard (DGICG) exercising his
overall command and superintendence from the Coast Guard Headquarters (CGHQ) located at
New Delhi.
• For effective command and control, the Maritime Zones of India are divided into five Coast
Guard Regions, namely, North-West, West, East, North-East and Andaman & Nicobar, with the
respective Regional Headquarters located at Gandhinagar, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Port
Blair.
• The Coast Guard Regions are commanded by Officers of the rank of Inspector General.
• The regions are further divided into twelve Coast Guard ‘Districts’, one each for the nine coastal
states on the mainland, two in the Andaman & Nicobar Region, and one at Kavaratti in the
Lakshadweep and Minicoy Islands.
• Each Coast Guard District comprises of one or more Coast Guard Stations.
 • In addition, there are Coast Guard Air Stations (CGAS) and Air Enclaves (CGAE) for air
operations from various locations along the coastline.
• The Coast Guard is under the Ministry of Defence.

Read more about Coast Guard ships in the linked article.

2. India International Silk Fair

Context:

Union Textiles Minister inaugurates 8th India International Silk Fair on a virtual portal.

About the India International Silk Fair:

• Considered to be India’s biggest silk fair, the India International Silk Fair is the Sourcing Fair for
silk and silk blend products organised by the Indian Silk Export Promotion Council under the
aegis of the Ministry of Textiles and sponsored by the Department of Commerce.

Indian Silk Export Promotion Council:

• The Indian Silk Export Promotion Council (ISEPC) was set up in 1983 as a company not for
profit under the Companies Act duly sponsored by the Government of India in the Ministry of
Textiles.
• ISEPC works closely with the Government of India on policy formulation concerning the silk
sector and provides specialized services to the entrepreneurs enlarging global business
opportunities for the silk industry in India.
• Main activities:
o Explore markets and identify items offering export potential by conducting market
surveys.
o Establish contacts with prospective buyers to generate their interest in Indian Silk
products.
o Sponsor trade delegation, study teams and sales teams to various markets abroad.
o Organize Buyer Seller Meets for its member exporters.
o Organize Silk fairs and exhibitions in India.
o Participate in trade fairs and exhibitions abroad.
o Resolve trade disputes.
o Launch generic promotion of silk products from India.
o Organize Workshops/Seminars on various trade and policy-related issues.
 • ISEPC is based in New Delhi.

Background:

• India has a long history of silk production and is the 2nd-largest producer of Silk.
• India is the only country in the world which produces all the four major varieties of silk i.e.
Mulberry, Eri, Tassar, and Muga.
• It also has large varieties of products to offer i.e. garments, fabrics and sarees, made-ups, carpets,
hi-fashion silk apparels, gift items, scarves, stoles, home furnishing, curtains, etc.
• India has around 11 Geographical Indications (GI) such as Pochampally Ikat, Chanderpaul Silk,
Mysore Silk, Kanchipuram Silk, Muga Silk, Salem Silk, Arni Silk, Champa Silk, Bhagalpur Silk,
Banaras Brocade and Sarees, etc.