NEW DELHI, March 08, 2017: The Central Association of Private Security Industry (CAPSI) in association with the International Institute of Security & Safety Management (IISSM) today urged the central government to direct state governments on minimum wage implementation for security guards across India.

The CAPSI, the apex body of security professionals in the country, also submitted a memorandum with the Labour and Employment Minister, Shri Bandaru Dattatreya, in this regard.

Recently, the Ministry of Labour and Employment has notified to categorize security guards as ''skilled workers'' and armed security guards and security supervisors as ''highly skilled workers''. It entitled security guards to receive a minimum wage of Rs 15,000 for skilled workers and Rs 25,000 for highly skilled workers under the Minimum Wage Act.

On behalf of the domestic Private Security Sector, the CAPSI and IISSM organized Abhinandan Samaroh here to honour and thank the Labour and Employment Minister, Shri Bandaru Dattatreya, for his monumental decision and felicitated him for his sterling efforts and reform.

In his welcome address, Mr. Vishwanath V Katti, President, CAPSI, said the decision taken by the Labour and Employment is indeed a positive development for the private security industry and it will impact the overall quality of service standards and image of the sector.

Expressing his happiness over the major milestone for the security industry, in his keynote address, Mr Kunwar Vikram Singh, Chairman, CAPSI & SSSDC, described the government's decision as a ''watershed'' and a great opportunity to take the industry in the next orbit of growth in terms of better talent quality, higher manpower retention and superior training and certification standards.

''We are happy with the landmark decision of the Ministry of Labour and Employment and hope that it will also enable private security agencies to recruit, train and employ quality workforce for the sector, which has been a demand of all industry stakeholders,'' Mr Singh added.

Shri Dattatreya said, ''The notification regarding the classification of security guards is part of the larger goal of the ongoing labour reforms. It will not only bring enhanced wages to security personnel, but will also provide social security cover to their families.

Notably, the current notification is applied on security guards working for organisations under the Central Government and Public Sector Units.

Shri Dattatreya assured the CAPSI, IISSM and security professionals of positive steps to implement it across India and said his Ministry will speak with the Labour Ministers of all the states to make it a reality sooner than later.

Mr. R K Sinha, Member of Parliament and Executive Chairman of IISSM, thanked the government for this path-breaking move and said the Ministry of Labour and Employment should call a meeting of all labour ministers of the states in this regard in order to implement Minimum Wage Act for security guards.

The current notification on the classification of security guards as ''skilled workers'' under minimum wage act will impact only less than 10 per cent of 7.1 million security professionals.

Mr Mahesh Sharma, Secretary General CAPSI & SSSDC, and Mr Rituraj Kishore Sinha, CEO, SIS Limited and Founder Member of IISSM, also participated in Abhinandan Samaroh.