Centre rolls out sops for 'Agniveers' to quell outrage against Agnipath scheme

Rajnath Singh had a meeting with the top brass of the Army, Navy and Air Force to explore ways to pacify the youths protesting against Agnipath

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Saturday promised reservation of 10 per cent of job vacancies for ‘Agniveers’ as the Central government continued to announce sops to quell the outrage over the new Agnipath military recruitment scheme.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) too has decided to reserve 10 per cent vacancies in Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and the Assam Rifles for the ‘Agniveers’.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had a meeting with the top brass of the Army, Navy and Air Force as well as the senior officials of the ministry early on Saturday to explore ways to pacify the youths protesting against Agnipath, alleging that the scheme rolled out on June 14 would curtail the duration of the service of the new recruits to just four years without any pension benefits. Singh later approved a proposal to reserve 10 per cent of the job vacancies in the Ministry of Defence for the eligible ‘Agniveers’, who would serve for four years in the armed forces after being recruited through the new scheme.

Read | Centre cautions states amid protests against Agnipath

The 10 per cent reservation – in addition to the existing quota for the ex-servicemen – for the ‘Agniveers’ will be implemented for recruitment not only to the defence civilian posts, but also in the Indian Coast Guard, all the 16 Defence Public Sector Undertakings, including the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited, according to a press release issued by the MoD.

The MoD stated that necessary amendments to the relevant recruitment rules would be made to implement the job reservation for the ‘Agniveers’ after completing their period of service in the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. Besides, according to the MoD officials, necessary age relaxation provision would also be made to enable recruitment of the ‘Agniveers’.

The MoD’s 10 per cent job reservation was among the several sops Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government announced to allay the apprehensions over the fate of the youths, who would be recruited to the armed forces through the new scheme, but would have to leave after four years. Though 25 per cent of the ‘Agniveers’ would be retained for regular service in the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force, the spectre of uncertainty over the fate of the remaining 75 per cent triggered protests – mostly by job-seeking youths – in several states, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana.

The MHA not only decided to reserve 10 per cent vacancies in paramilitary forces for the ex-‘Agniveers’. It also promised to raise the upper age limit by three years for the recruitment in the paramilitary forces, only for the ‘Agniveers’, so that they could avail the benefits of the reservations after completing their service in the armed forces. The first batch of the ‘Agniveers’ would get age relaxation for five years, the MHA has announced in a series of tweets.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways announced six service avenues for smooth transition of the ‘Agniveers’ in various roles of the Merchant Navy, after their stint with the Indian Navy. The National Institute of Open Schooling announced that it would institute a special programme to enable the ‘Agniveers, who would join the armed forces after passing the 10th standard exams, to continue education after the four-year military service and to obtain a certificate for passing 12th standard exams.