The Government of India increased the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel strength by 20,000. The decision has been made 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 Union home ministry, in a recent communication, has notified an enhancement in the "authorised ceiling" of the force from the current 2 lakh personnel to 2.20 lakh staffers. The force was raised in 1969. The personnel strength of CISF till 2024 was 1,62,000. A total of 13,230 personnel were recruited last year; meanwhile, for 2025, recruitment for 24,098 personnel is underway, the officials informed.
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.
Given the Union government's announcement that left-wing extremism will be eradicated from the nation by March 2026, the additional manpower will be specifically used to safeguard new industrial hubs that are anticipated to be affected by various forms of Naxal violence.
In order to maintain "professionalism and operational flexibility" within the organisation, the home ministry, which oversees the CISF, has also instructed the force to put in place a policy that will guarantee that employees working in "private sector establishments and comfortable duty stations" are regularly rotated and transferred.
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