PM to review CISF Raising Day parade today

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 9

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will review a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) parade on Sunday in Ghaziabad as the paramilitary force marks the 50th year of its raising, Director General CISF Rajesh Ranjan said.

The CISF was raised in 1969 and has about 1.56 lakh personnel who are tasked with guarding some very sensitive installations in the country.

The DG said, “A consensus is building around the point” that all airports in the country, including those under the new regional connectivity scheme (RCS), should be guarded by the CISF.” The force guards 61 civil airports at present.

“Nine airports which are part of the RCS are under our cover,” he said. Asked as to why security at the airports has been stepped up in the recent past, the DG said he would not want to go into the details and whenever there is a heightened threat perception, the force “steps up its vigil”.

Highlighting the force’s achievements, the DG said the CISF started a pilot project of ‘Digi Yatra’ and elimination of boarding pass stamping at the Mumbai airport and at Bengaluru, the project is under the concept stage.

Besides, the force has stopped stamping handbag tags at 52 airports, he said.

Understanding the importance of passenger profiling and behaviour detection, a special tactical training module of two weeks is designed with an objective to enhance the counter-terror response skills. So far, 320 QRT personnel of various ASGs have attended the course, the DG said.

In 2018, Rs 60.15-crore assets, 466-kg gold and Rs 27.90 crore cash were recovered at the IGI Airport. Besides, 32 cases related to contraband items were reported.