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The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) (established in its present form: 15 June 1983) is a Central Armed Police Forces in India.

It was set up under an Act of the Parliament of India on 10 March 1969 with a strength of 2,800. CISF was subsequently made an armed force of India by another Act of Parliament passed on 15 June 1983. Its current active strength is 148,371 personnel. In April 2017, the government raised the sanctioned strength from 145,000 to 180,000 personnel. Among its duties are guarding sensitive governmental buildings, the Delhi Metro, and providing airport security. The CISF is governed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, and its headquarters are at New Delhi.

The CISF provides security cover to 300 industrial units, government infrastructure projects and facilities and establishments located all over India. Industrial sectors like atomic power plants, space installations, mines, oil fields and refineries, major ports, heavy engineering, steel plants, barrages, fertiliser units, airports and hydroelectric/thermal power plants owned and controlled by Central Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), and currency note presses producing Indian currency are protected by CISF. It thereby covers installations all over India straddling a variety of terrain and climatic conditions. CISF also provides consultancy services to private industries as well as other organisations within the Indian government. The scope of CISF's consulting practice includes security consulting and fire protection consulting.

CISF is a unique organisation in the paramilitary forces of India, which works for seaways, airways and some of the major installations in India. In the CISF there are some reserved battalions that work with the state police to preserve law and order. The CISF plays a major role in Disaster Management. The CISF has a 'Fire Wing' which helps during fire accidents in Industries where the CISF is on guard.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is India's largest Central Armed Police Force. It functions under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of the Government of India. The CRPF's primary role lies in assisting the State/Union Territories in police operations to maintain law and order and counter insurgency. It came into existence as the Crown Representative's Police on 27 July 1939. After Indian Independence, it became the Central Reserve Police Force on enactment of the CRPF Act on 28 December 1949.

Besides law and order and counter-insurgency duties, the CRPF has played an increasingly large role in India's general elections. This is especially true for the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar and in the North East, with the presence of unrest and often violent conflict. During the Parliamentary elections of September 1999, the CRPF played a major role in the security arrangements. Of late, CRPF contingents are also being deployed in UN missions.

With 246 battalions and various other establishments, the CRPF is considered India's largest central armed police force and has a sanctioned strength of more than 300,000 personnel as of 2019.

INFO: Full form for DCPW is Directorate of Coordination Police Wireless in Central Armed Police Force category
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INFO: Full form for ITBP is Indo Tibetan Border Police in Central Armed Police Force category
ITBP also has other full forms in other categories mentioned below.

The National Security Guard (NSG) is an elite counter-terrorism unit under the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). It was founded on 16 October 1984 under the National Security Guard Act, 1986, following Operation Blue Star, the Golden Temple attack and the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, "for combating terrorist activities and protect states against internal disturbances".

National Security Guard personnel are sometimes referred to as The Black Cats.

Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) is a border guarding force of India deployed along its border with Nepal and Bhutan. It is one of the five Central Armed Police Forces under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The force was originally set up under the name Special Services Bureau in 1963 in the aftermath of the Sino-Indian War to strengthen India's border areas against enemy operations. The civil wing of the SSB, comprising 1,800 personnel, was transferred to the Intelligence Bureau in 2018.

The Border Security Force (BSF) is India's border guarding organisation on its border with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is one of the five Central Armed Police Forces of India, and was raised in the wake of the 1965 War on 1 December 1965, "for ensuring the security of the borders of India and for matters connected there with".

It has various active roles during an outbreak of war. It is the only CAPF to have a Full-fledged Water Wing, Air Wing and even an Artillery Regiment of its own. It comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The BSF has its own cadre of officers but its head, designated as a Director-General (DG), since its raising has been an officer from the Indian Police Service. The BSF has grown exponentially from a few battalions in 1965, to 186 battalions with a sanctioned strength of 257,363 personnel including an expanding Air wing, Marine wing, An artillery regiment, and specialised units. It currently stands as the world's largest border guarding force. BSF has been termed as the First Line of Defence of Indian Territories.