UPSC Mains 2022 GS Paper 3 Q10: model answer
What are the maritime security challenges in India? Discuss the organisational, technical and procedural initiatives taken to improve the maritime security.
What the question wants
Identify India's maritime security challenges and discuss the organisational, technical and procedural initiatives taken to improve maritime security.
How to structure it
Challenges, then three kinds of initiatives.
- Challenges
- Organisational
- Technical
- Procedural
How to think it through
Challenges: 26/11 sea route; long coastline 11,098 km; 1,382 islands; piracy; smuggling (drugs, gold); illegal fishing; Chinese presence; Red Sea threats; maritime terrorism; climate. Organisational: three-tier coastal security (Navy, Coast Guard, marine police), Navy as overall in charge of maritime security, NMSC (National Maritime Security Coordinator, first appointed 2022), Joint Operations Centres. Technical: coastal radar chain, AIS, NC3I, IMAC Gurugram, IFC-IOR 2018. Procedural: biometric ID cards for fishermen, colour coding of boats, Sagar Kavach drills, Sea Vigil exercise.
Model answer
The 26/11 attackers came to Mumbai by sea, after hijacking an Indian fishing boat, the Kuber. India redesigned its maritime security after that night.
Maritime security challenges
- A long coastline of about 11,098 km and many islands.
- Drugs and arms smuggling by sea.
- Piracy and attacks on shipping.
- Illegal fishing and fishermen straying across lines.
- Chinese naval presence in the Indian Ocean, including research and survey vessels.
- Red Sea and Arabian Sea attacks on merchant ships since 2023.
Organisational initiatives
- Three-tier coastal security: Navy, Coast Guard and state marine police.
- The Navy as overall in charge of maritime security.
- A National Maritime Security Coordinator, first appointed in 2022, under the NSCS.
Technical initiatives
- Coastal radar chain and AIS tracking.
- The NC3I network and the IMAC in Gurugram.
- IFC-IOR (2018) for regional information sharing.
Procedural initiatives
- Biometric ID cards for fishermen and colour-coded boats.
- Drills like Sagar Kavach and the national Sea Vigil exercise.
The sea is India's longest border; it is guarded best when every fishing boat is a friendly eye.
Draw: A coastline cross-section: marine police near shore, Coast Guard in the EEZ, Navy beyond.
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
26/11 by sea, Kuber, 11,098 km coastline, three-tier coastal security, Navy as lead, NMSC 2022, Joint Operations Centres, coastal radar chain, AIS, NC3I, IMAC Gurugram, IFC-IOR 2018, biometric ID, Sagar Kavach, Sea Vigil.
Where most answers lose marks
- Missing one of the three types of initiatives the question names.
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Question text as printed in the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) question paper. The model answer is original Battle IAS work; use it to learn structure, not to memorise.
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