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Home ministry yet to decide on Smriti Irani’s security upgrade
NEW DELHI: No decision has been taken by the Union home ministry to upgrade security of union human resource development minister Smriti Irani.
NEW DELHI: No decision has been taken by the Union home ministry to upgrade security of union human resource development minister Smriti Irani.
As a cabinet minister, she is entitled to ‘ Y’ cate gory security under which she is guarded by more than around 20 personnel.
According to sources, during the student agitations in January and February, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) reviewed threat perception for Smriti Irani and recommended an upgrade her security to the next ‘Z’ category under which she would be provided an escort vehicle and around 10 more guards.
But since then the ministry has not taken any decision over it.
“The file is still pending,” said a senior government official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. There are two types of securities – positional and threat-based.
All cabinet ministers by virtue of the position they hold are entitled to ‘Y’ category security but in case for a ministry or protectee the threat is higher, the security is upgraded after a threat perception analysis by the IB.
In the last few months, Union home ministry has cleared many files of protectees that include the decision to provide ‘Y’ category security to nine Uttarakhand rebel Cong ress MLAs who joined BJP.
