Top security priority cover for 777 vital installations in India: Report
New Delhi, May 3: The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), which work under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and state governments, currently provide special security cover to 777 vital installations in India.
According to the recently published Annual Report 2020-2021, based on threat vulnerability, these installations are being guarded by Central Armed Police Forces and state forces. The report further says that the security categorisation of vital installations has been reviewed, and they have been re-categorised as A, B, C, D and E, keeping in view their threat vulnerability and to include a broader range of vital installations.
Nuclear and aerospace buildings, sensitive government departments, and power and energy setup are among these vital installations.
The security of vital installations in the country is mainly the responsibility of the Union Ministry or Department or the state government concerned.
Based on a review of existing arrangements by the Central Security Agencies, the MHA advises them on security norms and requirements of key sites regularly.
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Furthermore, any threat information obtained concerning vital installations is instantly communicated with the state government, UT administration, and concerned departments.
As per the report, CAPFs are deployed for the security of specific vital installations based on requests from the organisation and ministries.
According to an MHA official, the strength of the security personnel from CAPFs varies depending on the threat perception of vital installations such as the civil secretariat, police headquarters, airport, and various central government establishments in the country, and "most of such installations are guarded by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)."
According to MHA sources, the CISF guards the majority of the country's 777 key installations, while the rest are secured by state governments.
A joint team of the Intelligence Bureau and local security heads usually conducts the security audit.
Currently, the CISF provides security for 353 establishments, including nuclear installations, space installations, airports, seaports, and power plants.
Furthermore, the CISF safeguards vital government buildings, notable heritage monuments, and the Delhi Metro.
Officials in the security and intelligence wings stated that the security of vital installations has been strengthened as terror agents from across the border are now training their guns on soft economic targets such as IT hubs, security installations and other sensitive locations like power plants.
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-PTC News
