The Indian Coast Guard, shortly known as ICG, is a law enforcing agency and armed force of the Govt. of India, which is functional on the territorial marine areas of the country. It ensures safety and security along the coastal lines and holds search and rescue operations.
Being able to be a part of ICG is a great honor for an Indian citizen. To the delight of many, ICG has recently declared vacancies in the posts of Navik (General Duty), Navik (Domestic Branch), and Yantrik. The selection procedure involves four stages.
| Particulars | Details |
| Abbreviation | ICG |
| Type | Maritime Law Enforcement Agency |
| Parent organization | Ministry of Defense, Govt. of India |
| Purpose | safety, security, and rescue of any form of life on the territorial seas and coastal regions of the country. |
| Headquarter | New Delhi, India |
| Founded on | 1st February, 1977 |
| Director-General | Krishnaswamy Natarajan |
| Coast Guard Regions | Regional HQs |
| North-East (NE) | Kolkata |
| Eastern (E) | Chennai |
| Western (W) | Mumbai |
| North-West (NW) | Gandhinagar |
| Andaman & Nicobar (A&N) | Port Blair |
ICG has released the official notification for recruitment in the posts of Navik (General Duty), Navik (Domestic Branch), and Yantrik 01/2022 batch. But the vacancy is only for the MALE citizens of India. The notification contains detailed information on the important dates, eligibility criteria, vacancies, application process and fees, reservation policies, exam pattern, calculation of scores at different stages, provisional allotment etc.
Eligible candidates can apply from 2nd July 2021 to 16th July 2021. Applications and payments are accepted online only. The selection takes place in four stages– Stage-I, Stage-II, Stage-III, and Stage-IV. You have to clear each stage for proceeding to the next.
Check the official recruitment website of the Indian Coast Guard and download the official notification for more details. However, find the summarized information in the following tab.
| Events | Remarks |
| Start of Application | 04th January 2022 |
| End of Application | 14th January 2022 |
| Mode of application | Online |
| Number of stages | 4 |
| Number of exam centers | 5 |
| Application link | Click Here |
We will keep you updated with everything on ICG Recruitment 2021. Still, candidates are advised to complete everything within time and to keep an eye on the official website now and then.
Specific exam dates for specific posts and stages have not yet been declared by ICG. But they did mention a tentative time for all the stages in their notification so that you can have a rough idea and start preparing accordingly. The exact dates will be updated on our website at once.
Here is the tentative schedule for the examinations for your convenience.
| Posts | Expected Time of Examinations | – |
| Stage-I | Stage-II | Stage-III & IV |
| Navik (GD) | Mid/ End May 2022 | Early Aug 2022 |
| Navik (GB) | Mid/ End May 2022 | Early Oct 2022 |
| Yantrik | Mid/ End May 2022 | Early Aug 2022 |
The application fee for ICG Recruitment 2021 is Rs. 250/- for Unreserved candidates. But the applicants belonging to categories Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe do not have to pay any fee.
| Categories | Application Fee |
| Unreserved/ OBC/ EWS | Rs. 250/- |
| SC/ ST | Nil |
This opportunity, as mentioned earlier, is for the MALE candidates only.
Or, 10+2 passed from a centrally recognized board and Diploma in Mechanical/ Electrical/ Electronics/ Telecommunication (Radio/ Power) Engineering of 2 or 3 years’ duration approved by AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education).
It is, by definition, mandatory for all the applicants to be Indian citizens. Needless to say, you should have a valid proof of the same to be able to apply for all of the above posts in Indian Coast Guard Recruitment 2021.
Lower age – 18 years
Upper age – 22 years
The upper age limit is subject to a relaxation of 5 years for SC/ ST candidates and 3 years for OBC (non-creamy) candidates. But this is applicable only if there is a reservation available for these categories.
The candidates are checked for medical fitness by authorized military doctors at the later stages of the selection process. However, the basic medical standards expected by ICG are as follows:-
The number of vacancies for each post and for each category has also been notified by ICG. The overall vacancies are as follows:
| Posts | UR (GEN) | OBC | EWS | SC | ST | Total |
| Navik (General Duty) | 108 | 67 | 26 | 40 | 19 | 260 |
| Navik (Domestic Branch) | 23 | 17 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 50 |
| Yantrik (Mechanical) | 8 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
| Yantrik (Electrical) | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| Yantrik (Electronics) | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Also, Pradhan Adhikari/ Pradhan Sahayak Engineer is the maximum rank up to which a Navik/ Yantrik can be promoted. After that, the pay scale will be Rs. 47600/- (Pay Level 8) plus Yantrik pay of Rs. 6200/- with Dearness Allowance. But promotion to the Officer rank is subject to suitability and performance.
The common section in the written exam, i.e. Stage-I, for all the Navik and Yantrik posts includes 10th standard knowledge on Maths, Science, and English, because it checks on the overall Reasoning and GK of the candidates. This is common with almost all other Government job exams, although the level of difficulty varies according to the weight of the post.
The additional section for Navik (GD) applicants is meant to test 12th standard knowledge of Mathematics and Physics. For this part, grade 11 & 12 CBSE syllabi have to be followed.
In addition to the common section, Yantrik applicants have to appear for another section related to their Diploma trade, i.e. Electrical, Electronics, or Mechanical. For this part, the Diploma Level syllabus for their trade is to be followed.
For more detailed information, check the “Syllabus” page of this article.
The Stage-I of the selection procedure is the computer-based written exam, which consists of five sections.
| Section | Highest Marks | No. of Questions | Time (mins.) |
| I | 60 | 60 | 45 |
| II | 50 | 50 | 30 |
| III | 50 | 50 | 30 |
| IV | 50 | 50 | 30 |
| V | 50 | 50 | 30 |
For subject-wise marks distribution and category-wise pass marks, check the notification.
Individual admit cards will be issued for each stage.
The dates when the e-tickets will be available will appear on the ICG website. However, we will keep updating our website with the latest information. Yet, candidates are advised to regularly check the website and log in to download the e-admit card for various stages.
The exam city will be visible in the candidate’s profile 10 days before Stage-I. But the admit card will be ready to download in the candidate’s profile on the ICG website only 02-03 days before the examination. Also, an email will be sent on the registered email id.
For the written exam, candidates have to take the following documents with them:
(a) Coloured hardcopy of E-admit card (Stage-I).
(b) Identity proof as mentioned on the application.
(c) For SC/ST candidates –
The result of the online written exam or Stage-I is expected to be available within 30 days of the exam. To access the results at each stage, you need to log in to your profile on the ICG website.
For Stage-I, the ICG declares a certain cut off depending on the difficulty level of the question paper and the performances of the candidates in a particular year. But stages II & III are qualifying in nature, i.e. you either pass or fail the tasks.
On qualifying Stage-III, you are selected for provisional training at INS Chilka, which is Stage-IV. Most likely, once you make it to this stage, you are almost in the job, unless you furnish false documents.
To apply for the ICG Recruitment 2021, candidates should have the following things ready:
Also, all the documents should be submitted in the prescribed format, size, dimension, and quality.
The photograph of the candidate has to be a front portrait in light background without headgear except for Sikhs. Also, the candidate has to hold a black slate in front of his chest with his name and the date of the photograph taken clearly written with white chalk in the UPPER CASE, i.e., in capital letters.
Write the declaration with a black ballpoint pen on clear white paper. Also, make sure your handwriting is recognizable and clear in the scanned image. For example, here are the words if you need help with it:
“I, <your name>, Date of Birth – <your DOB>, hereby declare that all the information submitted by me in the application form are correct, true, and valid. I will present supporting documents as and when required. The signature, photograph, and left thumb impression is mine.”
Keep yourself updated with current affairs. Catch up with the newspaper and discuss the news with your friends. Hence, both your understanding of the topic and vocabulary will get strong.
Assess your strengths and weaknesses while preparing. Then decide which portions to do first in the examination. The most efficient order of solving questions is different for everyone because everyone has different comfort zones. You and only you can understand what works best for you. So, try not to follow anyone else’s advice on it.
Keeping yourself in shape is necessary for energy, concentration, and also for the physical fitness round in the ICG exam. Hence, when you make your preparation schedule, make sure there is time for a workout every day.
Ans. The training period for ICG employees mostly is of 6-8 weeks; in other words, 1.5-2 months.
Ans. The total number of vacancies released by ICG for Navik (DB), Navik (GD), and Yantrik posts for all the categories is 350. Yet, the total Unreserved vacancies are 151.
Ans. Navik (DB) and Navik (GD) posts require minimum educational qualifications of 10th and 12th pass respectively. So, a final year graduate is technically eligible to apply for these posts. Of course, he has to be a male.
But the Yantrik post requires Diploma Engineering as minimum eligibility, so students choosing other career paths than Diploma cannot apply to a Yantrik post. If he is in the final year of his Diploma, he can apply only if he has already received his final mark sheet by the time of application, i.e. he has cleared his degree.
Ans. The lower and upper age limits to apply for ICG Navik or Yantrik are 18 and 22 years respectively. In contrast, 5 years and 3 years of relaxation on the latter will be exercised on the applicants from SC/ST and OBC categories respectively.
Ans. The Sailors (Navik) have a base pay of INR 21700 (Payscale 3), and the basic pay for Mechanics (Yantrik) at ICG is INR 29200 (Payscale 5). Also, Dearness and other allowances are added to the basic pay in both cases. In addition, Mechanics get another 6200 rupees as Yantrik Pay.
Ans. All other categories except Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe have to pay Rs. 250/- for applying. But candidates from SC/ST category do not have to pay, given that they can produce valid caste certificates.
Ans. Only male Indian citizens between the age of 18 and 22 years, with maximum qualification of 10th, 12th, or Diploma Engineering are eligible to apply. Yet, age relaxation is applicable for some categories.
Ans. Unlike many other important government jobs, no negative marking is there in the written exams of ICG.
Ans. Yes, in Stage-I, each section has an individual duration.
Ans. ICG is recruiting pan India. Yet, on selection for provisional training, candidates have to go to INS Chilka. But the location of posting will be decided post-training.
Ans. There are five centers for the ICG exam 2021, although you have to choose the center within 30 km from your residence as your first preference. But if there is no exam center within this area, you have to choose the next nearest option.
Also, after hall tickets for Stage-I are released, SC/ST candidates will be provided with ordinary 2nd class fare by train/ Govt. bus/steamer charges by the shortest route as per central government regulations.
Yet, this benefit can be enjoyed if they are not employed by any other central/ state government institution. Also, it is applicable only if the home station is beyond 30 km from the exam center (Stage I). To complete the process, SC/ST candidates have to download the travel form from the ICG website and submit the same to ICG.
Ans. Application to more than one post by a single individual is NOT allowed in the Indian Coast Guard. Also, more than one application to a single post will cancel your candidature.
Ans. Those who have received the qualifying degree from any open education system not recognized by AICTE/ COBSE are not eligible for ICG.
Ans. Getting any Government job needs focus and patience. But the selection process of the Defense jobs is particularly strict, if not wary, from the applicants’ side.
Yet, these applicants will be responsible for the nation’s security and safety. Hence, the Ministry will choose just the best candidates for the job.
But if you are motivated enough to be a part of this and prepare smartly, of course, you can crack it.