NEW DELHI: Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel have been guarding the country’s airports, industries and vital installations for decades.
Besides the austerity of service involving rigid discipline, regimentation and the stress of the public gaze, they also had to endure some additional tribulations, such as uncertain postings and absence from families.
Over and above that, promotions were taking place only annually, not simultaneously with the occurrence of vacancies.
Over the past year, though, a revolution of sorts has occurred within the Force’s Human Resource (HR) setup. With a series of radical policy changes, the CISF has initiated its most ambitious promotion and posting campaign in seven years, making possible long-pending dreams of thousands of its personnel.
Within a span of one year, 13,520 Non-Gazetted Officers (NGOs) and 406 Gazetted Officers who received promotions were given promotions, reaffirming the organisation’s focus on timely career advancement.
This is equivalent to approximately 9 per cent of personnel of the Force being
promoted during the past year, registering a marked increase as compared to those of earlier years.
“Timely promotion isn’t about a new rank; it’s about morale, pride, and feeling of belonging,” opines a constable, who got his promotion this year after a seamless process.
Promotions in CISF were previously bogged down by a once-a-year process. But 2025 has been a turning point.
For the first time in the history of the Force, promotion committee proceedings have been held and finalised within the initial five months of the year.
It is significant that the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) for promotion from DIG to IG rank was finalised well ahead of the model calendar year.
This has paved the way for early completion of DPCs for higher ranks as well, leading to “just in time” promotion as and when vacancies are available. This historic milestone is a milestone and gratifying progress for the Force.
If promotions were half of the reform, postings were the other.
Historically, the area of posting used to be one of the largest issues for CISF personnel, quite frequently becoming a cause of discontent.