Yoga guru Ramdev forays into Rs 40,000 crore private security market

HARIDWAR: Looking beyond his FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) and Ayurvedic products business, yoga guru Ramdev is readying to flex his muscles in the Rs 40,000 crore private security market. Patanjali sources said that retired Army and police personnel have been roped in to train recruits who will work as private security guards with Ramdev’s Parakram Suraksha Private Limited.
According to a statement released by the yoga guru, the company’s aim is to “instill patriotic fervour among youngsters and create an ambiance conducive for physical and mental development of the trainees.”

Launching the firm with a slogan that says “parakram suraksha, aapki raksha”, Ramdev said, “Patanjali has sensitised people towards yoga, Ayurveda and Swadeshi (products). Our aim is to now inspire a sense of security among individuals and resolve to work towards the protection of our country,” he said. The company will have units across the nation by the end of this year.

The private security business has seen robust growth over the past few years. According to a study by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the sector which is pegged at around Rs 40,000 crore is expected to touch revenues of Rs 80,000 crore by 2020.

According to a source in the Patanjali Yogpeeth, the agency will offer services not only to institutes and centres run by them but can also be hired by corporate offices, individuals and shopping malls etc. The first batch of 100 recruits has been undergoing training for the past one month at the Patanjali centre in Haridwar. It will train 100 workers every month, the sources added.

Patanjali Ayurveda, set up by Ramdev in 2006, has seen phenomenal growth over the past decade, clocking a reported Rs 10,561 crore revenue in the last financial year.