Profile of Indian Paramilitary Forces – III The Central Industrial Security Force
31 Jan, 2002 · 687
Mallika Joseph profiles the CISF which provides security and protection to India’s Public Sector Undertakings worth $17 trillion
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) was constituted in 1968 to provide security and protection to the Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
Cambodia
,
Mozambique
,
Angola
and
Bosnia
.
Visakhapatnam
, 9 personnel died but saved property worth Rs.75 crores (US$ 17 million). In the last five years, the CISF has attended to 12,496 fire alarms. The Force has received as many as 532 gallantry awards including 4 President’s Police Medals for Gallantry and 39 President’s Police Medals for Distinguished Service.
National
Industrial
Security
Academy
and 6 Recruit Training Centers located all over
India
offering specialized basic and in-service training to its personnel. It also provides training relating to industrial security to personnel from other services. In addition to training in weaponry and courses in criminal jurisprudence and industrial laws, they are also trained in intelligence work and handling of sophisticated equipment for strengthening security. Their syllabus also includes Human Rights.
The main role of the CISF, therefore, is to provide security to PSUs, including domestic airports, and to prevent any threat or sabotage to them, besides preventing espionage or pilferage from these units. Further, the Force provides consultancy services to industries in the private sector in the area of industrial security. The CISF has a highly specialized Fire Wing to protect the PSUs from fire hazards. In addition to these functions, the Force has also been involved in providing relief assistance during natural calamities, like the cyclone in Orissa in 1999.
The CISF has a sanctioned strength of 95,955 and has been inducted into 257 PSUs including 20 airports. The net value of these units guarded by the CISF is about Rs.8,05,027,89 Crores (US$ 17 trillion) [http://cisf.nic.in/vscisf/CISF-Performance.htm]. It is deployed to protect sensitive units like Atomic Power plants, Space installations, Defence Production Units, Mints, Oil fields and Refineries, major Ports, Heavy Engineering Plants, Steel Plants, Barrages, Fertilizer units and Hydro electric/thermal power plants.
Its Fire Wing has a strength of 4991 personnel deployed in 82 units. The role of the Fire Wing in not limited to fire-fighting alone; its duties include ensuring the availability of adequate measures for fire prevention also.
The CISF has been a part of the Indian contingents to UN peacekeeping missions and was deployed in these missions to
In the year 2000-2001, the CISF detected 7646 cases of theft from PSUs involving property worth Rs 3.30 crores (US$ 0.7 million), apprehended 918 persons, and recovered stolen goods (including unclaimed property) worth Rs. 7.48 crores (US$ 1.7 million). Of the 257 PSUs under them, the CISF has made 173 crime free. In a fire incident at MGCC Nagothane in 1990, the CISF lost 9 personnel but saved property worth Rs.1000 crores (US $ 2.2 billion). At a fire incident at Hindustan Petro-Chemicals Limited (HPCL),
The CISF has one
The budget for the year 1999-2000 stands at Rs. 516 crores (US$ 115 million). It has registered a three-fold increase from its budget a decade ago (1989-1990) when it amounted to Rs. 142 crores.
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