The history and significance of CISF Raising Day

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is observing its 52nd Raising Day on Wednesday. It is the day when the CISF, one of six paramilitary forces in India, was set up under the Union ministry of home affairs in 1969. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his greetings on the day as he tweeted, "Their role in furthering national safety and progress is deeply valued."On their Raising Day, greetings to the courageous CISF personnel and their families."

Currently, the CISF has an active strength of more than 148,000 personnel. It has 12 reserve battalions and eight training institutes. It was formed to protect industrial undertakings of both government and private.

History

One of the central police forces in India, the CISF was set up in 1969 and is tasked with the security of vital government and industrial buildings. In 1983 is was brought under the armed forces with another Act. With an earlier strength of 3,129, the CISF was established under CISF Act.

In 2017, the government raised its sanctioned strength from 145,000 to 180,000 personnel.

Significance

The day is observed to mark the significance of security in the critical industrial undertakings in both government and private sectors. CISF guards strategic establishments, including the department of space, the department of atomic energy, airports, seaports, the Delhi Metro and historical monuments. It also provides security to some private sector units and important government buildings in Delhi.

CISF also has a Special Security Group (SSG) wing which provides security to many "protectees" classified under Z Plus, Z, X, Y categories. It also has a fire wing for fire accidents.

Besides guarding the sensitive government buildings, CISF also provides consultancy services on security and fire protection to government organisations as well as private industries.