CISF to flag off Vande Mataram Coastal Cyclothon-2026 on Jan 28
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) will launch the second edition of the CISF Vande Mataram Coastal Cyclothon–2026, a national campaign aimed at spreading awareness on coastal security and strengthening public participation.
The cyclothon, being held to mark the 150th anniversary of India’s national song ‘Vande Mataram’, will be virtually flagged off by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai from the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi on January 28.
A total of 130 CISF personnel, including 65 women, will participate in the event.
Briefing the media in Visakhapatnam on Monday, M G Raghavendra Kumar, DIG, CISF South Zone-II, Hyderabad, said India’s coastline has over 250 ports, including 72 EXIM ports, which handle nearly 95 per cent of the country’s trade. Besides ports, key coastal installations such as refineries, shipyards, and nuclear power plants are also crucial to the nation’s economic growth and energy security.
He said these facilities face threats like smuggling of drugs, arms, and explosives, infiltration, and other illegal activities. “For over five decades, CISF has been entrusted with safeguarding 12 major ports and other critical coastal infrastructure,” he added.
The cyclothon will be conducted on the theme ‘Surakshit Tat, Samridh Bharat’ (Secure Coasts, Prosperous India). It will cover 6,553 km over 25 days, making it one of the longest coastal cycling drives undertaken in the country.
Two teams will start simultaneously — one from Lakhpat Fort in Kachchh, Gujarat (west coast) and the other from Bakkhali in South 24 Parganas, West Bengal (east coast). Both teams will converge at Kochi, Kerala, on February 22.
Major cities on the route include Surat, Mumbai, Goa, and Mangaluru on the western coast and Haldia, Konark, Paradip, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Puducherry, and Kanyakumari on the eastern coast.