Which of the following correctly describes the role of the Indian Coast Guard in maritime and coastal security?

Introduction / Context:
This question deals with India’s maritime security architecture after reforms that followed incidents such as the Mumbai attacks of 2008. Several agencies share responsibilities along the long Indian coastline and in the offshore areas. The Indian Coast Guard in particular has been assigned key roles relating to offshore security coordination, intelligence gathering along the coast and coastal security in territorial waters. The question presents three statements describing these roles and asks which combination correctly reflects the functions entrusted to the Coast Guard.

Given Data / Assumptions:

Statement 1 says that the Indian Coast Guard has been entrusted with the Offshore Security Coordination Authority role.
Statement 2 says that it acts as the lead intelligence agency for the coastal and sea borders.
Statement 3 says that it has responsibility for coastal security in territorial waters.
The options combine these statements in different ways.
We assume the division of roles as notified by the Government of India in official orders on coastal security.

Concept / Approach:
The approach is to recall how responsibilities are shared between the Indian Navy, Coast Guard, marine police and other agencies. The Navy is the overall authority for maritime security. The Coast Guard has been designated as the authority responsible for coordination of offshore security and as the lead agency for intelligence related to coastal and sea borders. It also plays a central role in coastal security within territorial waters, in coordination with State marine police. Consequently, all three statements are essentially correct descriptions of functions entrusted to the Coast Guard, so the correct answer will be the option that includes 1, 2 and 3 together.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Examine Statement 1. Offshore areas include installations such as oil platforms beyond the immediate coastline. The Government has entrusted the Coast Guard with offshore security coordination authority, so Statement 1 is correct. Step 2: Examine Statement 2. After coastal security reforms, the Coast Guard was given the role of lead intelligence agency for coastal and sea borders, coordinating inputs from various sources. Thus Statement 2 is also correct. Step 3: Examine Statement 3. Coastal security in territorial waters is shared between the Coast Guard and State police, but the Coast Guard has a major responsibility and coordinating role, so Statement 3 is essentially correct. Step 4: Since all three statements are correct, the correct option must be the one that lists 1, 2 and 3 together. Step 5: Option B includes 1, 2 and 3, so option B is the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
A candidate may verify by recalling diagrams or summaries in coastal security notes that show the Navy as overall maritime security authority, the Coast Guard as offshore security and coastal security coordinator and State marine police as responsible for patrolling close to shore. Government notifications explicitly state that the Coast Guard is the lead intelligence agency for coastal and sea borders and that it coordinates offshore security. Matching these descriptions to the three statements confirms that all of them are correct.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A (1 and 3 only) is incorrect because it ignores the intelligence role described in Statement 2, which is in fact part of the Coast Guard mandate.
Option C (1 and 2 only) is incorrect because it excludes the coastal security responsibility mentioned in Statement 3, which is also correct.
Option D (3 only) is incorrect because it drops both offshore security coordination and lead intelligence roles, which is an incomplete and misleading representation of the Coast Guard’s duties.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners sometimes confuse the roles of the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard. Some wrongly attribute offshore security coordination to the Navy alone, ignoring the specific designation of the Coast Guard in that role. Others think that intelligence is handled only by traditional domestic agencies and not by the Coast Guard. It is important to remember that after the Mumbai attacks, coastal security arrangements were significantly revised, and the Coast Guard now has prominent responsibilities in offshore security, intelligence collection and coastal patrolling. Keeping this holistic picture in mind helps avoid errors.

Final Answer:
All three statements are correct, so the correct choice is the combination 1, 2 and 3, which is option B.