Shah announces CISF deployment at all EXIM Ports

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday announced that the Central Industrial Security Force will now oversee the security of various sea ports across the country. In his address at the 57th Raising Day of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) here, Shah said the force already protects 361 critical installations, including 71 airports, the Parliament complex, and the Statue of Unity near Kevadia in Gujarat.

“The CISF undertakes such a variety of tasks. You are securing the grand monument of Sardar Patel, you are protecting our Parliament complex, the largest panchayat of our democracy, and elsewhere you are securing dams and critical railway installations,” Shah said.

The home minister also detailed the strategic shift toward maritime and aerial defence, saying that, along with these established roles, the Government has worked to include the security of ports for the CISF.

Shah announced that the CISF has been designated as the nodal agency for drone security and said that the Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to create a new vertical for this purpose.

Highlighting the force’s growing footprint over the past year, Shah listed several new locations approved for CISF protection, including the Kartavya Bhavan, Seva Teerth, Noida International Airport, Navi Mumbai Airport, and various critical energy and mining projects such as the Talaipalli coal mine project in Chhattisgarh.

“After the CISF takes over the security of the ports, our maritime safety will improve in tandem with the country’s economic growth,” Shah said.

The announcement follows a decision by the Centre to designate the CISF as a Recognised Security Organisation (RSO) under the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) code, effectively making it the new safety regulator for approximately 250 facilities along India’s maritime borders.

This role was previously managed by the Indian Register of Shipping, but the Government identified a need for a professional paramilitary agency to handle core functions such as counter-terrorism and anti-sabotage operations at all export-import ports.

On the occasion, the Home Minister also asserted that the country is on the verge of eliminating Maoists by the end of this month, and said security forces will defeat those who dream of building a red corridor from Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh to Pashupati in Nepal. It will be a big achievement for the country’s security forces under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to uproot Maoists from the country, Shah said.

In order to achieve the goal of ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047, as aimed by the Prime Minister, the forces have ensured internal security, the most important ingredient for the growth of a nation, the Union Home Minister said.

Shah inaugurated two residential projects and laid foundation stones for three reserve battalions with a total cost of Rs 890 crore on virtual mode. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and others were present at the programme.