Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday announced two major policy reforms for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), aimed at expanding career opportunities for women officers and streamlining compensation procedures for families of personnel who go missing at sea while on duty. The reforms were unveiled at an event at Kartavya Bhavan in New Delhi.The first reform overhauls the Coast Guard’s officer induction framework by introducing a gender-neutral system. Women would now be eligible for both Short Service Appointments (SSA) and Permanent Appointments (PA) on a par with men. The SSA system, which was previously reserved for women, has also been opened to male candidates.Under the new policy, women officers will have the same career progression opportunities as their male counterparts from the beginning of their training. Women already serving on Permanent Appointments will be eligible for promotion to senior ranks upon meeting the prescribed criteria. Those currently serving under Short Service Appointments will have the option to convert to Permanent Appointments, subject to fulfilling the stipulated conditions.The reform follows years of judicial scrutiny. The Supreme Court had repeatedly urged the Centre to grant permanent commissions to women in the Coast Guard, observing that the force remained an exception after similar reforms had been implemented in the Army, Navy and Air Force. The court had also warned that it would intervene if the government failed to act.The second reform addresses a long-standing administrative issue affecting the families of Coast Guard personnel who go missing at sea in the line of duty. Under the revised rules, the ICG can formally declare a missing service member “presumed dead” solely to process ex gratia compensation. The move is expected to significantly reduce delays in the disbursal of financial assistance and terminal benefits to the personnel’s next of kin.The Coast Guard has maintained that it operates as a gender-neutral force, with women already serving as Dornier aircraft and hovercraft pilots, in addition to holding administrative appointments. The new policy seeks to institutionalise and expand that inclusion across the officer cadre and promotion structure.