Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)

Definition

A Central Armed Police Force under the Ministry of Home Affairs, raised under the CISF Act, 1968, to provide security to industrial undertakings, critical infrastructure, and other vital installations.

Key points

• It was raised in 1969 to protect public-sector undertakings; its role has since expanded far beyond industrial units.
• It guards major civil airports in the country (airport security was transferred to the CISF after the 1999 IC-814 hijack), the Delhi Metro and other metro systems, nuclear and aerospace installations, major ports, and government buildings.
• It is the only CAPF with a statutory mandate to provide consultancy services on security and fire safety to private organisations.
• It also provides VIP security cover (Z-plus and similar categories) and has a dedicated fire wing.
• It is headed by a Director General and is one of the five forces into which UPSC recruits Assistant Commandants.

Why it matters for CAPF

The CISF is one of the five forces a candidate may join; its 1968 Act, its airport and metro security role, and its unique private-consultancy mandate are standard institutional facts.

Common confusion

The CISF guards installations and infrastructure; it is not a border-guarding force (that is the BSF, ITBP, SSB) and not a primary internal-security or anti-Naxal force (that is the CRPF), though it does provide some VIP security.

Related concepts

concept central armed police forces overview, concept railway protection force, concept one border one force

Parent note

the five capfs in depth