Shah launches projects worth Rs 3,275 crore

Cuttack/Bhubaneswar: Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday inaugurated and laid foundation stones of projects worth Rs 3275 crore. These include five housing projects worth Rs 890 crore for the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) during its Raising Day ceremony at Mundali in Cuttack. Calling the CISF a "key catalyst" in India's industrial growth, Shah underscored its vital role in safeguarding the nation's economic progress.From the CISF's Mundali training centre, Shah virtually laid the foundation stone for three residential complexes in Kamrup (Assam), Nashik (Maharashtra) and Sehore (Madhya Pradesh). He also inaugurated two complexes — one at Rajarhat in Kolkata and another in New Delhi.He also laid the foundation stone of a campus of National Forensics Sciences University and a Central Forensic Science Laboratory in Bhubaneswar. He inaugurated 19 new Atal bus stands, NFSU transit campus and a sulphuric acid plant at Paradip.Highlighting the CISF's contribution, Shah said the vision of India's industrial development cannot be imagined without the CISF. He linked the force's role to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's twin resolutions - making India a fully developed nation by 2047 and the world's third-largest economy by 2027. "The aim of building a strong national economy and making India the world's largest economy cannot be realised without industrial growth. A secure environment for industrial growth requires a national-level industrial security force," he added.Shah announced that the CISF will soon extend security to major private industrial groups under a hybrid model. Currently, the force secures at least seven private units in different states. Under the new system, private security agencies will manage non-core areas, while the CISF oversees critical operations at these industrial units.On maritime security, Shah said the CISF has already been entrusted with conducting security assessments and preparing plans for seaports. Addressing emerging threats, Shah said that the CISF has been made the nodal agency for drone security. The force will build capacity to counter drone and cyber attacks on vital installations.CISF director general Praveer Ranjan stated that a drone training and anti-drone capability centre has already been set up at Behror in Rajasthan. "The MHA has also approved the establishment of a remote pilot training organisation to train personnel in drone operations and anti-drone systems," Ranjan said.