• The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has decided to create an all-women commando team for conducting specialised counter-terrorist operations.

• A group of 100 female personnel deployed across the country as part of the aviation security group (ASG) guarding civilian airports are the first to be trained for the task.

• The training for the first batch of the women personnel in commando skills has been started at a training centre located in Barwaha, Madhya Pradesh.

• This eight-week advanced commando course will prepare women personnel for quick reaction team (QRT) and special task force (STF) duties at high-security establishments and plants.

• The personnel will be trained in physical fitness and weapons training, live-fire drills under stress, endurance-building exercises like running, obstacle courses, rappelling, survival training in forests, and a 48-hour confidence-building exercise designed to test decision-making and teamwork under adverse conditions.

• The Central Armed Police Force, which functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs, has 12,491 women (8 per cent of its strength) in its ranks at present.

• In 2026, as many as 2,400 more women staff will be recruited and in the coming years, recruitment will be structured in such a way that women consistently make up at least 10 per cent of the force as per the directions of the ministry.

Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)

• The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) was raised through an Act of Parliament in March 1969. It was established with a strength of 3,129 personnel. 

• The strength of the Force has grown exponentially to about 1,88,355 personnel. 

• It is a part of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

• According to the ministry, CISF is the largest industrial security force in the world.

Functions of CISF:

• The CISF is providing security cover to 359 establishments including 69 domestic and international airports and fire protection cover to 115 industrial undertakings.

• It has become a premier multi-skilled security agency of the country, mandated to provide security to major critical infrastructure installations of the country in diverse regions including terrorist and naxal affected areas. 

• CISF is currently providing security cover to atomic power plants, space installations, defence production units, mines, oil fields and refineries, major sea ports, heavy engineering/steel plants, fertilizer units, airports, hydro electric/thermal power plants, sensitive government buildings and heritage monuments (including Taj Mahal and Red Fort) and important private sector units. 

• CISF is one of the largest Fire Protection Service providers in the country. It provides fire protection and fire safety coverage to 115 establishments. Fire wing is an integral part of CISF, managed by professionally trained personnel with science and engineering backgrounds. First fire wing unit was inducted at Fertilizer and Chemical Travancore (FACT), Kochi in 1970 with a sanctioned strength of 53 personnel. CISF is the only Central Armed Police Force having a full-fledged fire service wing.

• In 1999, CISF was authorised to extend technical and fire consultancy services on the payment basis to establishments even in the private sector where CISF is not deployed.

• The specialised task of airport security was assigned to CISF in 2000 following the  hijack of Indian Airlines Flight IC-814 to Kandahar. The Force has since been deployed at 68 airports across the country. 

• The CISF was inducted in Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in 2007. DMRC is a Hyper Sensitive Unit and is the largest unit of CISF.

• CISF has been mandated to provide protection to the VIP protectees of various categories across the country. The VIP Security Wing of CISF, called Special Security Group (SSG), is looking after the security of VVIPs/VIPs.

Central Armed Police Forces

Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) refers to the common nomenclature of seven security forces. It is under administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs. 

The CAPF consists of:

1) Border Security Force (BSF)

2) Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)

3) Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)

4) Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)

5) Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)

6) Assam Rifles (AR) 

7) National Security Guard (NSG).

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)