DGLL have evolved over Pre independence era over post-independence period in extending coverage to more areas and reaching out to more complex functioning, diversifying to strategic aspects like Marine surveillance or commercial streams like tourism, there appears to be imminent need for creation of specialized and committed training facilities to augment the talent pool not only in India, also in the developing world. DGLL was set up in 1927, following the enactment of Lighthouse Act 1927. India is amongst member nations that form the council of International Association of Marine aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA). DGLL assures safe navigation for mariners and fishermen along the Indian coast, including Andaman Nicober Islands and Lakshadweep Groups of Islands. While the Headquarters of DGLL is at Noida, to facilitate the coordination more effectively, there are nine regional directorates located at Gandhidham, Jamnagar, Mumbai, Goa, Cochin, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Kolkata and Port Blair – through which day to day operations are managed. DGLL provides Visual and radio Aids to the navigation. While visual aids cover lighthouses, light vessels, buoys and light beacons, the Radio Aids lay focus on technologies like Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) and Racons.
DGLL, in 1964, set up a Training Centre in Kolkata. Initially the training was limited to the technical staff. However, later, the training has been extended to the operational staff, as well. In 2002, the Training Centre was emerged with the Regional Directorate, Kolkata; The Regional Directorate, Kolkata has additional responsibility of Training Centre other than its own regular duties unlike other regional Directorates.
Training Centre, Kolkata provides training to the following occupational profiles
Drawing cues from the above discussion on the need for craving niche for training human resources, in particular to meet the needs of a burgeoning maritime sector and to learn new technologies, DGLL envisages up gradation of Training Centre in Kolkata to Marine Navigation Training Institute (MNTI) which conforms to the global standards of Maritime Education. India has also been nominated as single point of contact by IALA for capacity building on AtoNs, training needs for North Indian Ocean Rim (NIOR) Countries and Littoral Countries (Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia)
MNTI aims to impart Training to -