INITIATIVE AIMED AT BRINGING WOMEN IN FRONT-LINE OPERATIONAL ROLES
Face2News/Chandigarh
In a significant policy initiative to encourage women empowerment, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is all set to induct its first-ever All-Women Commando Team into the core operations.
A CISF spokesperson said the training of women commandos has already begun at the Regional Training Centre (RTC) in Barwaha, Madhya Pradesh. This 8-week advanced commando course will prepare women personnel for Quick Reaction Teams (QRT) and Special Task Force (STF) duties at high-security establishments and plants.
The programme includes physical fitness and weapons training, live-fire drills under stress, endurance-building exercises like running, obstacle courses, rappelling, survival training in forests, and a 48-hour confidence-building exercise designed to test decision-making and teamwork under adverse conditions.
The first batch of 30 women—currently deployed across various airports—will undergo training from August 11 to October 4, 2025, followed by a second batch from October 6 to November 29, 2025. In its initial phase, at least 100 women from different Aviation Security Groups (ASGs) and sensitive CISF units will complete the programme. The Force is committed to making such all-women courses a regular part of its training calendar. Post training, they shall primarily be deployed at airports followed by other sensitive installations.
The CISF is also increasing women’s recruitment to achieve the Ministry of Home Affairs’ target of 10% representation. At present, CISF has 12,491 women (8% of its strength), and 2,400 more will be recruited in 2026. In the coming years, recruitment will be structured to ensure that women consistently make up at least 10% of the Force.