Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Sep 18: In a significant move aimed at enhancing the welfare of its over 1.6 lakh personnel and their families, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has unveiled a sweeping set of reforms, coupled with the launch of a new online welfare portal. Effective from September 1, the portal aims to make welfare services faster, more transparent, and entirely digital.

The reforms, developed after feedback gathered during Sainik Sammelans, touch upon almost every aspect of personnel welfare—from loans and scholarships to medical support and retirement benefits. Over Rs 100 crore has been earmarked for these initiatives, with a massive 80% allocated directly to benefit CISF personnel.

One of the key financial changes includes slashing interest rates on personal loans from 6% to 3% and on medical loans to just 2%. The maximum loan limit for housing, education, and marriage has also been increased from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, while the repayment period has been extended from three to five years.

Medical benefits have been significantly enhanced. Expenses not covered under Ayushman CAPF or CGHS will now be fully reimbursed—removing the earlier 10% cap. Additionally, financial support will now be provided during periods of Extraordinary Leave taken on medical grounds.

Scholarship schemes have undergone a complete overhaul. The DG Scholarship, earlier limited to just 150 students scoring above 90%, will now include all CISF wards scoring over 80%. Students with 80%+ will receive Rs 20,000, while those with 90%+ will receive Rs 25,000. The children of martyrs will now receive Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 annually—from Class 1 up to postgraduate level—up from the earlier Rs 6,000 to Rs 18,000, with no cap on the number of beneficiaries.

Retirement and death-related benefits have also seen significant increases. Retiring personnel will now receive Rs 1.25 lac under the Risk Savings Benefit scheme, up from Rs 75,000–Rs 80,000, while ex-gratia funeral assistance has been raised from Rs 25,000 to Rs 35,000. Unit-level allowances for national events and ceremonial duties have been revised, including an increase in refreshment allowance to Rs 50 per head and a bump in parade diet allowance from Rs 60 to Rs 100 per day.

The newly launched welfare portal replaces the manual system, allowing personnel to apply online for loans, scholarships, and medical reimbursements. A dedicated software system will manage the contributory welfare fund, ensuring that approved funds are directly transferred within 15 days—with priority processing for medical cases.

In a further push towards digitisation, the CISF has also automated its pension settlement process. Pension Payment Orders (PPOs) will now be issued on the day of retirement, and the newly introduced E-Service Book will allow personnel to update and track their service records digitally.

These wide-ranging reforms are expected to bring substantial relief and convenience to CISF personnel, strengthening the welfare backbone of one of India’s most vital security forces.