The Central Industrial Security Force will get a special psychometric assessment conducted for its personnel deployed in the “highly sensitive” units, including those proposed to be posted for the security of the Parliament House Complex, a force spokesman said on Friday.
The central paramilitary force will also get its medical officers and unit commanders trained to “identify” early behavioral changes, signs of acute stress, and psychiatric emergencies among the staff so that timely professional intervention can be initiated.
The decisions are part of an MoU inked by the force on Friday with the Delhi-based Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), with an aim to balance mental health and occupational stress among the force personnel, the spokesman said.
The agreement has been signed for a three-year period.
“The MoU adds a specialised clinical and psychiatric dimension to the CISF’s expanding mental-wellness ecosystem,” he said.
As part of the MoU, IHBAS will conduct specialised psychometric assessments of CISF personnel deployed in highly sensitive units, specifically including those proposed for deployment at the Parliament House Complex in Delhi and medical officers.
Also, supervisory heads of various field formations will be trained to identify early behavioral changes, signs of acute stress, and psychiatric emergencies for timely professional intervention, the spokesman said.
It has also been decided that personnel requiring psychiatric care will have direct access to counselling and treatment through IHBAS OPD and IPD facilities, including dedicated support for Alcohol Dependence Syndrome (ADS).
The experts of the institute will also train CISF personnel in various subjects related to mental health and awareness apart from informing the staff about the facilities available at the national mental health helpline – 14416, the spokesperson said.
CISF Director General Praveer Ranjan, who was present at the MoU signing event, said the force personnel “work in exceptionally demanding and high-responsibility environments”.
“This partnership with IHBAS will significantly strengthen our efforts toward early identification, professional counselling, and timely clinical treatment of mental health concerns,” the DG said.
The about 2 lakh personnel-strong CISF under the command of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guards more than 70 civil airports, vital infrastructure in the nuclear, space, coal and energy sectors, apart from important government buildings and select installations in the private domain.
