Thank you guys for your comments. Here is what I think I hear as of yet -
1. We have no need for a Marine Corps because we do not have military allies abroad to support.
2. Our army can do the job fine with "special battalions" trained in amphibious warfare. Like the Russians do.
3. Our bureaucracy is too corrupt and incompetent to do anything.
Well, here is my counter-opinion for what it is worth.
1. Even if we do not have military allies, we still have assets and interests overseas. Also, if any of our "friends" ask for help, what will we do? Remember IPKF in Sri Lanka? Remember the botched campaigns, the needless loss of IA soldiers? Our feeble attempts and lack of help against the LTTE turned the Sri Lankans away into the arms of the Chinese. Did we learn nothing? If India wants to be a superpower and stand against a rising China, we will need allies, and we will need partners. Israel, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, Malayasia (even Japan and South Korea) are natural allies for us. We should be ready to help them for our own benefit.
2. Any army including the IA is a huge beast, in terms of bureaucracy, internal politics, logistics etc. Even specialised battalions have to go through the same shit before deployment. A marine corps is exactly opposite. It has less firepower and logistics capability, but it also has less bureaucracy and internal politics. So, it can be deployed faster and can act as a "rapid response" force, without the added bullshit of "rapid response" forces of the army. It is not for nothing that the best military forces in the world keep a marine force. The russians do not keep a dedicated marine force because their naval doctrine is still based upon the soviet model (coastal defense and undersea offense) and they have no money to develop a new marine force. They should NOT be our model.
3. Corruption and incompetence cannot be our excuse in planning for our future. Indian politicians will sell their mother for votes and money, much less their motherland. But our saner and less corrupt leaders (both in civilian and military leadership) should be preparing for our future. A future of India as a major power in the Asia-pacific area for the 21st century. Unfortunately we are still preparing for our last wars. Pakistan is not our long-term naval opponent. Our army and airforce can deal with them, with nominal help from the navy. Our real naval opponent is and will be China and we better be prepared for them.