The Border Security Force, established on December 1, 1965, is responsible for guarding India's land borders during peacetime and preventing trans-border crimes. It is a Central paramilitary force operating under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. The Indian Union has a federal structure and is made up of several states, somewhat like the United States. From independence in 1947 to 1965, India's international boundaries were guarded by the local armed police battalions of every border state - with little or no inter-state co-ordination.

The Indian Coast Guard [Bharatiya Thatrakshak] was constituted as the fourth armed union of India, on 19 August 1978, under the Coast Guard Act. The force's main function is to protect India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), covering an area of 2.02 million sq. km, and operates under the effective control of the Ministry of Defense. Coast Guard vessels and aircraft have been assisting the custom authorities in anti-smuggling operations and has effectively served national interests in high-risk areas. They are also used in SAR operations, anti-pollution and other duties in maritime zones.

The Godavari River is a major waterway in India, next in importance to the Ganges and Indus rivers. It ascends at Triambak which is situated near Nasik in the Western Ghats northeast of Mumbai (formerly Bombay) in Maharashtra. The Godavari flows some 1400 km southeast across south-central India into Andhra Pradesh, and drains into the Bay of Bengal through its seven mouths. Its major tributaries are the Manjra and Indravati rivers. The Godavari River is sacred to all religious people. It has several places of pilgrimage on its banks. Every twelve years, Pushkaram, a major bathing festival, is held on the banks of the river. It is sometimes called the 'Ganga of the South,'

Its tributaries include Indravati River, Manjira River, Bindusara River, Moosi River and Sabari River.