There is a huge demand for effective security services and competent personnel to guard private infrastructure in India. The best way to take care of this demand is to create a mechanism by which ex-servicemen can be recruited as security personnel for private infrastructure all over the country.
The ministry of defence should ideally set up a National Ex-Servicemen Security Corporation, on the lines of the Uttar Pradesh Purva Sainik Kalyan Nigam, but on a much larger scale. National Ex-Servicemen Security Corporation or NESC can be set up as a public sector undertaking which would only employ retired armed forces personnel. NESC may work on the lines of Central Industrial Security Force and can be armed with assault rifles (like CISF), since it would be government-controlled and would be manned by retired armed forces personnel.
It would provide armed security to private sector at a very competitive rate. NESC would also go a long way in creating employment opportunities to several thousands of security personnel who retire from armed forces every year. NESC, at a later date, may also diversify to other trades along with security. The prime benefit of having a security organisation manned by ex-servicemen is that they are already trained and have years of experience in the field. Furthermore, most security personnel retire from service at a relatively young age and they still have many years of service left in them. The security industry in India is vast and protection of critical infrastructure needs to be prioritised. There is enough space available in the security industry to have more players. If there can be multiple players like BPCL, HPCL and Indian Oil in the oil refining industry, there is no reason why industrial security should be the monopoly of one security force.
Illustration: Job P.K.
Given the kind of professional expertise and man-management capacities that India’s armed forces have, it would not be difficult to create an organisation and make it successful. India is going through a critical phase in its war against organised terror syndicates funded from abroad. Likewise, there is also a major threat from left wing extremism, which has often wreaked havoc across the spectrum of vital installations and infrastructures. There is also a growing concern about a nexus that is developing between the islamist terror groups and the Maoists, a potent and dangerous cocktail of a threat for India’s economic development.
While the potential of an organisation like NESC is high, it has to be kept in mind that NESC should not be allowed to become just another public sector undertaking. In the initial stages, governmental support is needed for its seed funding and development of branches and infrastructure across India. But, eventually, it has to be a self-sustaining entity. And there is every reason to believe that retired officers and personnel of the Indian armed forces are quite capable of that. NESC, like other Central Armed Police Forces, can also become a force multiplier for the armed forces during emergency situations. However it has to steer clear of bureaucratic wrangling and needless procedural delays. Nevertheless, as an idea, the time for a National Ex-Servicemen Security Corporation has arrived. Sooner it is implemented, the better it is for the greater interest of national security.
The NESC will ensure that the security requirements of private infrastructure are taken care of by those who have the ability and training to perform their duties and will also grant ex-servicemen good employment that makes use of their skills and experience.
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