Subash Joshi appointed new NSG chief

New Delhi, May 1 (ANI): The government on Tuesday announced the appointment of Subash Joshi as Director General of the National Security Guards (NSG).

A member of the 1976 batch of the Indian Police Service, Joshi was previously working as Special Director General, Central Reserve Police Force.

Joshi's appointment will be effective from the date of his taking charge of the post. He will superannuate on February 28, 2014, or until further orders, whichever event takes place earlier.

The National Security Guard (NSG) is a special response unit that has primarily been utilized for counter-terrorism activities. It was created by the Cabinet Secretariat under the National Security Guard Act of the Indian Parliament in 1986. It works completely within the Central Armed Police Forces structure.

The NSG operates under the oversight of the Ministry of Home Affairs and its personnel are recruited from the Central Armed Police Forces .

The NSG members are also known as Black Cats because of the black drill cotton coveralls and balaclavas or helmets they wear.

The NSG's roles include protecting VIPs, conducting anti-sabotage checks, rescuing hostages, neutralizing terrorist threats to vital installations, engaging terrorists and responding to hijacking and piracy.

The NSG is much sought after for VVIP security, especially for high-risk VVIPs in India. It has a Special Rangers Group (SRG) and a Special Action Group. The latter acts as a strike force in anti-terrorist and anti-hijack operations, supported by the SRG and others.

The NSG has a total personnel strength of about 14,500. The NSG is modelled on Germany's GSG 9 (Grenzschutzgruppe 9 or "Border Guard Group 9").

The NSG Training Centre is a Centre of Excellence and the National Bomb Data Centre holds international conferences. Both are located at Manesar in Haryana. he NSG Headquarters Exchange is located at Mehramnagar, Palam. (ANI)