metro india news  I hyderabad

The government has enhanced the sanctioned manpower of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) by 20,000 personnel in order to secure industrial hubs expected to come up in Naxal violence affected regions post March 2026 apart from emerging sectors like aviation and ports, officials said on Tuesday. The actual strength of the force raised in 1969 was 1,62,000 till 2024 and a total of 13,230 personnel were recruited that year. During 2025, recruitment for 24,098 personnel is underway, the officials said.

The Union home ministry, in a recent communication, has notified enhancement in the "authorised ceiling" of the force from the current 2 lakh personnel to 2.20 lakh staffers. The force is expected to add 14,000 personnel every year in its ranks till the sanctioned strength of 2.20 lakh is achieved, officials said.

The augmentation, they said, will help to bolster CISF deployment across a range of critical sectors like airports, sea ports, thermal power plants, nuclear installations, hydropower plants etc. The new manpower will specially be utilised to protect new industrial hubs that are expected to come up in various Naxal violence affected in light of the Union government's declaration that Left wing extremism will be eliminated from the country by March 2026, the officials said.

The home ministry, under which the CISF functions, has also directed the force to implement a policy that will ensure that personnel serving in "private sector establishments and comfortable duty stations" are transferred and rotated regularly to ensure "professionalism and operational flexibility" in the organisation.