Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday approved a proposal to reserve 10 percent of the jobs in the defence ministry for agniveers who meet the requisite eligibility criteria. This development comes hours after the home ministry approved a proposal to adopt a 10% quota for aggies in CAPF and Assam Rifles. The ministry said in a statement that the 10 percent reservation will be implemented in the Indian Coast Guard and defence civilian posts and all the 16 defence public sector undertakings.
The 10% reservation will be implemented in the Indian Coast Guard and defence civilian posts and all the 16 Defence Public Sector Undertakings. This reservation would be in addition to the existing reservation for ex-servicemen. This reservation, for aspirants recruited through the Agnipath scheme, would be in addition to the existing quota for ex-servicemen. “Necessary amendments to relevant recruitment rules will be undertaken to implement these provisions,” the ministry said in a tweet.
“Defence Public Sector Undertakings will be advised to make similar amendments to their respective recruitment rules.” “Necessary age relaxation provision will also be made,” it added. This comes amid violent protests that have spread to eight states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, and Telangana. The Centre is firefighting and a meeting with the chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force was called today.
The government has already increased the upper age limit for recruitment under the Agnipath scheme to 23 years from 21 for the year 2024 as a one-time waiver. Under the Agnipath scheme, aspirants aged 17 and a half to 21 will be inducted for a four-year tenure, with 25% of them subsequently inducted for regular service. They will be called “Agniveers.”
