CISF security for IT industry in city soon
It’s a demand made time and again by IT industry leader Infosys during several meetings between chief mentor Narayan Murthy and Union home minister Shivraj Patil.
By ET Bureau |
NEW DELHI: It���s a demand made time and again by IT industry leader Infosys during several meetings between chief mentor Narayan Murthy and Union home minister Shivraj Patil. On Friday, Mr Patil finally expressed his readiness to accept Mr Murthy���s request for CISF cover for key IT firms based in Bangalore.
Mr Murthy had been seeking state protection for IT premises in Bangalore in view of the high terror threat faced by the industry which is so crucial to the country���s economic well-being. Mr Patil���s audience with the Infosys chief mentor each time coincided with the ���sensitisation��� of the IT firms of the heightened threat levels in view of intelligence inputs that terrorist outfits were planning to target them to hit at the country���s economic security.
Bangalore is home to some 1,500 foreign and domestic firms including IT majors like Infosys and Wipro. The threat to the IT hub is also seen as high due to the presence of large number of multinationals, including top US-based firms.
Though a proposal to extend CISF cover to vital installations in the private sector has been discussed by MHA ��� soon after Reliance Industries sought such a cover for its Jamnagar refinery ��� officials saw practical difficulties as CISF Act does not provide for deployment of the para-military force in the private sector. Also, identification of vital installations that should be extended state protection was a tricky proposition.
A committee in the MHA looking into the matter decided against extending CISF cover to private sector units but offered to set up an interface between units and agencies like CISF, IB, and state police to regularly share inputs on threat levels and how to counter them. On Friday, however, speaking soon after the multiple terror blasts in Bangalore, home minister Shivraj Patil said the government was ready to amend the CISF Act to provide security cover to the billion-dollar industry.
Conceding that there has been a constant demand from the IT industry that the expertise of CISF personnel be also made available to the private sector for security duties, Mr Patil said: ���IT sector has come up very well and we are ready to amend the law and provide security to them.���
Mr Murthy had been seeking state protection for IT premises in Bangalore in view of the high terror threat faced by the industry which is so crucial to the country���s economic well-being. Mr Patil���s audience with the Infosys chief mentor each time coincided with the ���sensitisation��� of the IT firms of the heightened threat levels in view of intelligence inputs that terrorist outfits were planning to target them to hit at the country���s economic security.
Bangalore is home to some 1,500 foreign and domestic firms including IT majors like Infosys and Wipro. The threat to the IT hub is also seen as high due to the presence of large number of multinationals, including top US-based firms.
Though a proposal to extend CISF cover to vital installations in the private sector has been discussed by MHA ��� soon after Reliance Industries sought such a cover for its Jamnagar refinery ��� officials saw practical difficulties as CISF Act does not provide for deployment of the para-military force in the private sector. Also, identification of vital installations that should be extended state protection was a tricky proposition.
A committee in the MHA looking into the matter decided against extending CISF cover to private sector units but offered to set up an interface between units and agencies like CISF, IB, and state police to regularly share inputs on threat levels and how to counter them. On Friday, however, speaking soon after the multiple terror blasts in Bangalore, home minister Shivraj Patil said the government was ready to amend the CISF Act to provide security cover to the billion-dollar industry.
Conceding that there has been a constant demand from the IT industry that the expertise of CISF personnel be also made available to the private sector for security duties, Mr Patil said: ���IT sector has come up very well and we are ready to amend the law and provide security to them.���
Download
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
Download
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
ADVERTISEMENT
