The government has appointed Vice Admiral (retd)

Solution

The government has appointed Vice Admiral (retd) G Ashok Kumar as India's first national maritime security coordinator to strengthen the country's maritime security. The significant move comes with a mandate to ensure cohesion among various key stakeholders with an overall objective to secure the country. The NMSC works in coordination with the National Security Council Secretariat headed by NSA Ajit Doval. The NMSC is tasked to coordinate among the Indian Navy, the Coast Guard, security agencies involved in coastal and maritime security and 13 coastal states and Union Territories.