CISF launches Coastal Cyclothon to promote national unity

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is acceptable to motorboat the 2nd variation of the CISF Vande Mataram Coastal Cyclothon–2026, a nationalist inaugural aimed astatine strengthening coastal information awareness, nationalist unity and assemblage participation. The lawsuit commemorates the 150th day of India’s nationalist opus ‘Vande Mataram’.

The cyclothon volition beryllium virtually flagged disconnected by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai from the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium successful New Delhi connected January 28. A full of 130 CISF personnel, including 65 women personnel, volition enactment successful the Cyclothon, reflecting inclusivity, resilience and operational strength.

Addressing the media successful Visakhapatnam connected Monday, M.G. Raghavendra Kumar, DIG CISF South Zone-II, Hyderabad, said that India’s immense coastline is location to implicit 250 ports, including 72 Export-Import (EXIM) ports that grip astir 95% of the nation’s trade. These ports, on with refineries, shipyards, and atomic powerfulness plants located on the coast, are captious to India’s economical maturation and vigor security. However, they besides look persistent threats specified arsenic smuggling of drugs, arms, explosives, infiltration, and different amerciable activities. For implicit 5 decades, CISF has been entrusted with safeguarding 12 large ports and different captious infrastructure on the coasts.

Building upon the occurrence of the archetypal CISF Coastal Cyclothon, the 2026 variation carries guardant this historical question with renewed resoluteness and a stronger nationalist connect, helium said.

The Cyclothon is being organised connected the taxable “Surakshit Tat, Samridh Bharat” (Secure Coasts, Prosperous India) and carries the patriotic essence of 'Vande Mataram', symbolising nationalist pride, unity, and corporate work towards safeguarding India’s coastline.

The Cyclothon is simply a 25-day, 6,553-kilometre cycling expedition covering the full mainland coastline of India, making it 1 of the astir extended coastal cycling campaigns ever undertaken successful the country. Two teams of CISF cyclists volition commence simultaneously 1 from the westbound coast—Lakhpat Fort, Kachchh successful Gujarat and the different from the eastbound seashore from Bakkhali, South 24 Parganas successful West Bengal. Both teams volition converge astatine Kochi successful Kerala connected February 22.

The large cities to beryllium covered include: Surat, Mumbai, Goa and Mangaluru connected the occidental seashore and Haldia, Konark, Paradip, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Puducherry and Kanyakumari connected the eastbound coast.