A first-ever all-women CISF battalion comprising more than 1,000 personnel has been sanctioned by the Union government keeping in mind the burgeoning duties of the force in VIP security, airports and other vital installations.

Officials told PTI that the unit will be raised from within the sanctioned manpower of the force of about two lakh personnel.

The Union home ministry issued a sanction order on Monday approving an exclusive women unit called "reserve battalion" in the force with a total strength of 1,025 personnel led by a senior commandant-rank officer, they said.

Women personnel constitute over seven per cent of the force whose present strength is about 1.80 lakh.

A force spokesperson said preparations for the early recruitment, training and selection of location for stationing the new reserve battalion has been initiated.

"The training is being specially designed to create an elite battalion capable of performing a multifarious role as commandos in VIP security and also security of airports, Delhi Metro, etc.," he said.

Once raised, it will be the first all-women reserve battalion of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

The CISF has 12 reserve battalions under its establishment at present and they have a mix of both men and women personnel.

As the name suggests, reserve units are kept in readiness and this pool is used as reinforcement when the force gets a new job like temporary duties of conducting elections and permanent tasks of guarding an installation like the Parliament House complex that came under CISF cover this year, an official said.

The force has a huge interface with women commuters and visitors at facilities like the 68 civil airports it guards, the Delhi Metro and historical monuments like the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort. It already has female personnel deployed at these duty locations.

Apart from these installations, the 1969-raised CISF provides a counter-terrorist security cover to a number of facilities in the nuclear and aerospace domain apart from those in the private sector like the Infosys offices in Bengaluru and Pune, Reliance refinery in Jamnagar (Gujarat), among others.

The CISF projected a requirement of having an all-women reserve battalion early this year following the directions of Union home minister Amit Shah during the 53rd Raising Day of the force that was held in March 2023, a home ministry official said.

"The addition of a 'mahila' (women) battalion would encourage more aspiring young women across the country to join CISF and serve the nation. It will give a new identity to women in CISF," the spokesperson said.

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