Vinod Singh has been a security guard since 1997. Hailing from Bihar, he took up the job because he hadn’t passed his 10th grade exams. Though he has 19 years of experience guarding five banks, he makes only Rs. 7000 a month – the same that a fresher at the job could get.
In 2013, India had over seven million security guards supplied by sixteen thousand security agencies. To put that number in perspective, the Indian Army’s authorized strength is only around 1.2 million.
Most security guards get their jobs through agencies – who take a share of their earnings as a cut for getting them trained and employed. Some of these agencies employ more than half a million people, with guards deployed in shopping malls, banks, industries and even warzones, across the world.
Agencies offer training and jobs for their recruits – but working conditions can vary dramatically.
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