The all-women battalion of the CISF will not only promote gender equality but will also encourage women to join the Central force’s mission to safeguard the nation’s strategic assets

Inder Vashishta / New Delhi

Ina landmark decision the Union Home Ministry gave its approval for the formation of the first all women battalion in CISF. The decision has been taken to empower women and increasing their role in national security,

CISF DIG (Intelligence) Deepak Verma said that CISF has been a preferred choice for women who currently want to serve the nation in the Central Armed Police Force.

CISF has a strength of about one lakh 90 thousand in which the number of women force personnel is more than 7 percent. The formation of the women battalion will further encourage ambitious young women across the country to join CISF and serve the nation. This will give a new identity to women in CISF. There will be 1025 women in the women battalion.

The CISF headquarters has started preparations for early recruitment, training and selection of headquarters location for the new battalion. The training is being specially designed to create a dedicated battalion and enable the women of the force to serve in diverse duty positions like as commandos in VIP security, airport security, Delhi Metro Rail security etc.

The process of creation of women battalions in the force was initiated in pursuant to the direction of Union Home Minister on the occasion of 53rd CISF Day celebrations.

The CISF, an affiliate of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), has been formed with the objective of providing security to government institutions and vital installations. Over time, the force has diversified its roles and has emerged as an important security force well-equipped and modern, while it also has a specialised VIP security vertical that provides round-the-clock security to important persons.