New Delhi: On Saturday, The Ministry of Home affairs announced a 10% reservation for Agniveers, youngsters who will be recruited to the military for four years through the Agnipath scheme, in the recruitment of CAPFs and Assam Rifles once they complete their four-year contract. The Home Ministry also decided to give 3 years age relaxation beyond the prescribed upper age limit for Agniveers for recruitment into CAPFs and Assam Rifles.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) decides to reserve 10% vacancies for recruitment in CAPFs and Assam Rifles for Agniveers.
— गृहमंत्री कार्यालय, HMO India (@HMOIndia) June 18, 2022
Further for the first batch of Agniveers, the age relaxation will be for 5 years beyond the prescribed upper age limit, the Home Ministry said on Twitter.
The MHA also decides to give 3 years age relaxation beyond the prescribed upper age limit to Agniveers for recruitment in CAPFs & Assam Rifles. Further, for the first batch of Agniveer, the age relaxation will be for 5 years beyond the prescribed upper age limit.
— गृहमंत्री कार्यालय, HMO India (@HMOIndia) June 18, 2022
Earlier, The Centre has already raised “one-time” change in the age limit for the new military recruitment scheme to 23 from 21. The decision was taken as no recruitment has taken place in the last two years. The Centre qlso assured that the future of the Agniveers is not insecure though only 25% of the force will be retained after four years as the rest will get priority in other recruitments. Several BJP-ruled states including Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana have already announced that they will give priority to Agniveers in their state police recruitment.
This announcement comes after, several states of India including UP, Odisha, Telangana, Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh saw protests against the Agnipath scheme introduced by the Centre recently. A 24 year-old man died and several were injured after security personnel opened fire on hundreds of agitators at the Secunderabad railway station on Friday as the protests escalated into large-scale violence and arson.
A total of 260 people were arrested and six FIRs lodged until Friday in Uttar Pradesh in connection with violent protests. Protests also continued across Rajasthan on Friday with protesters holding demonstrations, taking out rallies, blocking railway tracks and damaging public property. Currently, over 73,000 posts are vacant in five wings of the paramilitary forces – Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Shastra Seema Bal (SSB), and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). As many as 73,219 posts are vacant in CAPFs and Assam Rifles, suggests Union Home ministry data. Besides, 18,124 posts are also vacant in police forces in Union Territories.
