According to details provided by Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt on December 29, in Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Indian Parliament) the government has taken a number of measures to strengthen coastal, offshore and maritime security, reports Hindustan Times. The steps listed by him to boost coastal security included capacity augmentation of maritime security agencies, enhancing technical surveillance of coastal and offshore areas and establishment of mechanisms for inter-agency coordination. Bhatt said Indian Naval ships and aircraft are regularly deployed on 'Mission Based Deployments' in the Indian Ocean Region to enhance maritime security. "It also undertakes surveillance to enhance maritime domain awareness and address contingencies that may arise," he said. "These are in consonance with Government of India's vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) and the Maritime Security Strategy to build its role as the 'Preferred Security Partner' in our extended maritime neighbourhood," he said.