New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS): Some five million jobs will be generated by private security agencies in India for manned guard services, notably in smaller cities, and the focus for sourcing such manpower will be tribal areas, the apex body for such companies said Wednesday.
"The government's focus on smart cities and infrastructural projects -- roads, airports and seaports -- would require a huge security workforce in the next five years," said Kunwar Vikram Singh, chairman of the Central Association of Private Security Industry.
"These initiatives will generate over 50 lakh (five million) job opportunities in the security services sector in the next 5-6 years," Singh, who also chairs the Security Sector Skill Development Council, added.
At present, the private security services sector has a workforce of seven million guards -- men and women -- engaged by some 15,000 security services companies operating across 600 districts in India. With another five million, the workforce base will top 10 million by 2020.
"The private security sector is a sunrise sector with potential to be the second-largest job generator. It is involved in skill development and employment of backward, economically weaker sections, particularly from the rural and semi-urban areas of the country," Singh said.
He said the need for security arrangements of industrial complexes, offices, tech parks and other public infrastructures such as airports, metro stations, shopping malls and public utilities has grown manifold.
"To meet the rising demand, the private security services sector has significantly scaled up its operational capabilities to supplement government machinery towards maintaining safety and security of citizens and their assets," he said.
"Now, the private security sector has to prepare itself for the next level of growth."
He, however, said manpower procurement and retention was a challenge due to more opportunities and the requirement to support industry's growth. Besides, there is a demand-supply mismatch to the tune of 30 percent so far as security workforce is concerned.
This sector has now set its sight on tribal areas to meet the rising human capital demand.
"Tribal belts are our next focus areas to meet the human capital shortage and strengthen the workforce of the industry in view of the rising demand for manned guarding and cash services business," Singh said.
"We have already trained 1,000 Jharkhand girls and women and as many as 30,000 tribal youth have also been trained under star scheme of the government of India. Skilling the tribal people and secure the nation is our motto."
Since the inception of the Private Security Agency Regulation Act, 2005 it has become mandatory for state governments to appoint a State Controlling Authority to ovesee the legislation and to ensure that all security guards are trained and certified.
Under the National Skill Development Corporation, he said, his two institutions will launch an awareness drive in the tribal areas pan-India about the employment opportunities in the private security sector. Support has been fought from the the central and state governments.
"We are confident that such initiatives will help the industry record an annual growth rate 20 percent for the next five-six years and expect to create a workforce base of 10 million security services personnel for the country by 2020,'' said Mr. Singh.