The government is considering a larger role for private security agencies in India’s rapidly expanding critical infrastructure sector. To this end, the Ministry of Home Affairs is learnt to have scheduled a key meeting later this month with the umbrella organisation of private security firms in the country.The Central Association of Private Security Agencies (CAPSI), which represents around 35,000 registered private security organisations in India, will participate in a dialogue to be hosted by senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The ministry is the nodal authority for private security firms licensed under the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act, 2005.The dialogue will be held as part of the Regional Security Conference on the theme, “Enhancing Professional Standards of Private Security Agencies in Critical Sectors”.A preliminary discussion on the subject had taken place in May, CAPSI sources confirmed to The Tribune.CAPSI leaders said this was the first time the government had invited private security firms for discussions on ways to expand their role in safeguarding critical infrastructure. This includes energy utilities, power grids, physical infrastructure such as ports and airports, railways, mass transit systems, public health facilities, IT infrastructure, financial institutions and stock exchanges, among other sectors.At present, a large part of critical infrastructure security is handled by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) under the MHA. “The government is now preparing private security agencies to support its internal security infrastructure for any eventuality that may arise due to external conflicts,” said a senior CAPSI source invited to the meeting.With an estimated workforce of one crore security personnel, CAPSI has the largest network of trained security guards in India. It operates 150 training centres and operates under the nodal control of the MHA. CAPSI leaders said their security personnel could be further trained and equipped for deployment in critical infrastructure protection.