INDIAN COAST GUARD INSPECTOR GENERAL, CHENNAI, DONNY MICHAEL ELEVATED AS ADDITIONAL DIRECTOR GENERAL

INN/Chennai, @Infodeaofficial

Inspector General Donny Michael, the Coast Guard’s Regional Commander East, has been promoted to the position of Additional Director General by the Indian government, effective September 29, 24. Following promotion, the flag officer will become the Eastern Seaboard Coast Guard Commander at Visakhapatnam.

IG In November 2023, Donny Michael took over as the Indian Coast Guard’s (ICG) Region East commander. Under his leadership, the Eastern Region of the Indian Coast Guard saw several operations in less than a year. Of these, the most noteworthy were the prompt response to the widespread flooding in Chennai and Tuticorin, the coordination of the response to the oil spill at Ennore in December 2023 with the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, the prevention of illegal immigration, and the successful seizure of contraband, including drugs, near the India-Sri Lanka maritime boundary. Accelerated infrastructure development was also observed in the Eastern Region, with the opening of the Coast Guard Air Enclave in Puducherry and the Regional Marine Pollution Response Centre (RMPRC) and Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Chennai, both dubbed “state of the art.”

On July 6, 1990, Inspector General Donny Michael began working for the ICG after receiving his degree from Loyola College in Chennai. He completed the Navigation Direction School, Kochi, a specialised school offered by the Indian Navy. In addition to earning an LLB from Delhi University, he also obtained a Masters in Maritime Affairs at the World Maritime University in Sweden. He has actively participated in a number of Coast Guard-related legal cases and has represented the Union Government in court and other arbitration settings. The flag officer has also delivered papers on environmental protection issues at numerous national and international conferences and oversaw the implementation of national regulations pertaining to maritime search and rescue.

Inspector General Donny Michael received the Tatrakshak Medal (Gallantry) in September 2012 for his valiant leadership during the rescue of a burning merchant vessel close to Mumbai. On August 15, 2024, the flag officer received the esteemed President Tatrakshak Medal (PTM) for exceptional service in appreciation of his outstanding service. The officer has previously held the position of command of an ICG Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel, an Inshore Patrol Vessel, a Fast Patrol Vessel, and the first Pollution Control Vessel built in the country. Before assuming the position of Commander, Coast Guard Region East, he had held the positions of Deputy Director General (HRD) and Deputy Director General (CG Selection Board) at Coast Guard Headquarters in New Delhi.

The flag officer will have administrative authority over two ICG regions, namely Coast Guard Region East, which covers the states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry, and ICG Region North East, which covers the states of West Bengal and Odisha, in his capacity as Coast Guard Commander, Eastern Seaboard. As the Coast Guard Commander Eastern shore, he would have extensive responsibilities that include managing the ICG operations, as well as policy matters, infrastructure growth, capacity augmentation, and welfare initiatives in the ICG units located all along India’s eastern shore.