Pariksha SaathiCISF moves from a territorial to a functional, sector-based command structure from 1 November 2026; Bhilai to head the new Steel Sector
With effect from 1 November 2026, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has transitioned its supervisory architecture from a territorial command model to a specialised, functional sector model, a restructuring rolled out with the concurrence of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Under the previous territorial system, a single Sector Headquarters managed over 50 different units, ranging from coal mines to power plants and ports, requiring coordination across multiple ministries; supervision is now organised exclusively by the type of installation. The newly operationalised functional commands are the Power-I (New Delhi) and Power-II (Kolkata) Sectors, the Coal Sector (Ranchi), the Steel Sector (Bhilai), the Petroleum & Natural Gas Sector (Guwahati), the West Coast Port (Mumbai) and East Coast Port (Chennai) Sectors, and the Government Buildings, Museums & Monuments and Mass Rapid Transit System (GBMM & MRTS) Sector (New Delhi). They join the Aviation Sectors (functional since 2001) and the Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space (DAE & DoS) Sector (functional since 2018), bringing the entire Force under a functional model. The Ministry said critical infrastructure now faces expanded threats from drones, precision weapons, cyber-attacks, sabotage and coordinated disruptions, and that the reform marks a shift towards an intelligence-led, risk-based approach: client organisations will deal with a dedicated Sector Commander, and Sector Headquarters will be positioned to harmonise physical security with cyber-risk management for industrial control systems (OT/ICS), deploy tailored counter-drone technologies and prepare contingency plans for the rapid restoration of operations after an incident. Unit-level standard operating procedures (SOPs), access control and Quick Reaction Team (QRT) deployments will be continuously refined. The Director General of CISF said the change will promote better inter-agency coordination with a single point of contact, reduce operational bottlenecks for timely decision-making and crisis management, and establish efficiency, professionalism and accountability.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
At the 57th Raising Day ceremony of CISF in Mundali, Odisha, on 6 March 2026, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that after completing 56 years since its establishment, CISF provides security to 361 vital installations, including 70 airports across India, and has been designated the nodal agency for drone security. He said the Ministry of Home Affairs had recently decided to entrust the security of all ports to CISF, that in the coming days CISF will also provide security to private industrial groups in a hybrid mode, and that over the past 56 years CISF had received 13,693 medals for gallantry and distinguished service.
Check yourself: at CISF's 57th Raising Day, for what kind of security was CISF said to be the nodal agency, and the security of which installations had the Home Ministry decided to entrust to it?
Drone security; all ports.
Revision task: from this release, note the date of the change, the earlier territorial arrangement, each new functional sector and its headquarters, the sectors that already existed and since when, and the benefits the DG listed; from the note, the 57th Raising Day's venue and date, the installations CISF secures, its drone-security role and the decision on ports.
Test yourself
Under the functional sector model adopted by CISF with effect from 1 November 2026, which city is the headquarters of the new Steel Sector?
Show the answer
Answer: Bhilai
The newly operationalised functional commands include the Steel Sector (Bhilai), the Coal Sector (Ranchi), the Power-I (New Delhi) and Power-II (Kolkata) Sectors, the Petroleum & Natural Gas Sector (Guwahati), the West Coast Port (Mumbai) and East Coast Port (Chennai) Sectors and the GBMM & MRTS Sector (New Delhi). They join the Aviation Sectors (functional since 2001) and the DAE & DoS Sector (functional since 2018).
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