Home Minister Amit Shah said on September 24 that in old times the Gurkha community was synonymous with chowkidaars (security guards) because of the trust they enjoyed from people. He said private security guards were the first line of defence, while praising the efforts of two of them during the 26/11 Mumbai attacks who stopped terrorists from inflicting damage.
Mr. Shah was addressing private security agencies at a function in Delhi, where he inaugurated a portal related to private security.
“Private security agencies can also recruit students trained by the National Cadet Corps (NCC)....so you can get raw material who are full of deshbhakti (patriotism) and that too at government cost,” he said.
He said presently 90 lakh people were employed in the private security sector and it had the potential to generate 2-3 crore more jobs.
“Government has protected you from foreign investment, now you have a responsibility to make the $5 trillion economy of Narendra Modiji a success. Without private security, trade and business cannot prosper,” Mr. Shah told private security firm owners in the audience.
He said security guards should be trained to file simple FIRs and should be alert and help the police.
Mr. Shah said the owners should invest in insurance for security guards. “All it takes is a contribution of ₹22 per year for an insurance coverage of ₹2 lakh under the government scheme. Can’t you spend this much for the well-being of your security guard?” he asked.