Hindustan Times (Amritsar)

Now, Ramdev forays into private security biz

- Anupam Trivedi anupam.trivedi@hindustant­imes.com

: A group of welltoned young men and women flexing muscles, walking on tightrope and running inside Ramdev’s Patanjali complex in Haridwar has nothing to do with his ayurveda and FMCG business. These youngsters are getting ready to work as private security guards with Ramdev’s Parakram Suraksha Private Ltd.

The yoga guru is looking beyond FMCG and Ayurveda business. Ramdev has set his sights on the lucrative private security business and launched his security firm, Patanjali sources said on Tuesday.

“Patanjali has sensitised people towards Ayurveda, Yoga and Swadeshi (products). Now our aim is to prepare individual­s for self and country’s security and for this we have formed Parakram (security agency),” Ramdev said in a statement.

As per Patanjali sources, the yoga guru has hired retired army and police officials to train new recruits. Some retired officials have joined as volunteers to share techniques with the youths. The plan is to make the security firm visible in some key states by the end of this year.

According to a study by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the private security business is growing at a rate of 40% with more than 5 million trained guards working in shopping malls, guarding individual­s, security corporate offices among others. The FICCI report has pegged the industry at `40,000 crore.

“As early as in 2006, it was reported that the industry was paying `10,000 crore to the exchequer by way of service tax, provident fund, contributi­ons to employees insurance etc,” the study said.

Earlier, the Ramdev promoted Patanjali had announced to venture into higher education and dairy business. Riding on Ramdev’s brand image, the company doubled its turnover to `10,000 crore in the last financial year.

Though some Patanjali products are in news for failing lab tests, these developmen­ts seems to have failed to deter the yoga guru from expanding his business.

YOGA GURU HAS ROPED IN SOME RETIRED ARMY AND POLICE PERSONNEL TO TRAIN THE RECRUITS

 ??  ?? Young recruits of Ramdev's security agency undergo training at Patanjali complex in Haridwar. PHOTO: PATANJALI
Young recruits of Ramdev's security agency undergo training at Patanjali complex in Haridwar. PHOTO: PATANJALI

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