Pranav Birje | Senior Correspondent
In a major initiative towards strengthening industrial security to support economic rise of the Nation, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has approved an increase in the strength of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) from existing 1,62,000 to an authorized ceiling of 2,20,000 personnel.
As India’s economy scalses new heights, this augmentation will bolster CISF’s deployment across a range of critical sectors including rapidly expanding Aviation sector, and the Port sector, Thermal Power plants, Nuclear installations, vital installations like HydroPower plants and Jails in J&K, etc. With the decline of Left-wing Extremism in states like Chhattisgarh, new industrial hubs are anticipated to emerge, necessitating a stronger CISF presence to provide comprehensive and effective security to these units.
This growth will also generate new employment opportunities, particularly through upcoming recruitment drives. In 2024 alone, 13,230 personnel were recruited, and recruitment for another 24,098 is currently underway in 2025. The Force is expected to add about 14,000 personnel every year, thereby infusing young blood into the force and making it more battle-ready. These recruitment efforts are also likely to attract a greater number of women candidates, supported by the Force’s progressive policies aimed at increasing the representation of women across all ranks. Due to this increase CISF is in a position to raise one additional battalion, which will be helpful in deployment for Internal security duties, contingency deployment, etc.
In the past year, CISF has inducted seven new units under its Security Wing, including deployments at the Parliament House Complex, Ayodhya Airport, NTPC Coal Mining Project in Hazaribagh, ICMR-National Institute of Virology in Pune, Buxar Thermal Power Project, Jawahar Thermal Power Project in Etah, and the Beas Satluj Link Project in Mandi. Additionally, two new units were inducted under the Fire Wing at the Parliament House Complex and Jawahar Thermal Power Project, Etah. This expansion highlights the growing role of CISF in safeguarding key national assets, in conjunction with India’s advancing economic growth and infrastructure development.
This augmentation underscores the Government’s commitment to strengthening the capabilities of CISF in line with the evolving security landscape and ensuring that it remains a robust and responsive force supporting the accelerating pace of Bharat’s development.