Agnipath Row | 10% reservation for 'Agniveers' in Defence Ministry jobs approved: Rajnath Singh

File image of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

Amid the ongoing protests against the Centre's new military recruitment drive 'Agnipath', Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on June 18 announced that 'Agniveers' will be granted a 10 percent reservation in Defence Ministry jobs following their retirement from the armed forces.

Agniveers or the soldiers recruited under the new policy will serve a tenure of four years in the military -- subsequent to which, only 25 percent of them will be retained.

"A proposal to reserve 10 percent of the job vacancies in Ministry of Defence for ‘Agniveers’ meeting requisite eligibility criteria has been approved," Singh's official Twitter handle stated.

"The 10 percent 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 existing reservation for ex-servicemen," it further added.

Necessary amendments to relevant recruitment rules will be undertaken to implement these provisions.

Defence Public Sector Undertakings will be advised to make similar amendments to their respective recruitment rules. Necessary age relaxation provision will also be made.

Related stories

• 
  Why Rajnath Singh's powerful remark on Sindh brings back memories of 1947 Partition 
• 
  Agniveer dies during physical training in Jharkhand's Ramgarh
• 
  Rajnath Singh rejects Pakistan’s claims on Afghan conflict: ‘We don’t interfere, but won’t s...

— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) June 18, 2022

The announcement came shortly after Singh chaired a high-level meeting with the three service chiefs of the armed forces. The meeting was called a day after the protests against Agnipath took a violent turn in parts of the country, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana.

Explained | The Agnipath scheme and why people are protesting against it

Hours before the Defence Ministry's announcement of 10 percent quota, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued a similar statement, saying that it will reserve 10 percent vacancies for recruitment in the CAPFs and Assam Rifles for Agniveers following the conclusion of their term in the military.

"The MHA also decides to give 3 years age relaxation beyond the prescribed upper age limit to Agniveers for recruitment in CAPFs and Assam Rifles. Further, for the first batch of Agniveer, the age relaxation will be for 5 years beyond the prescribed upper age limit," the home ministry added.

The Agnipath policy was, notably, unveiled by the government on June 15 following the clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Security. As per the scheme, aspirants aged 17-21 will be eligible for a temporary recruitment drive. After selection, they would be employed by the armed forces for a four-year period. Following the completion of their term, only 25 percent of the recruits will be retained.

Also Read | Centre extends age limit for Agnipath scheme from 21 to 23 years as one-time waiver amid protests

The retiring soldiers will not be eligible for pension benefits, but will be provided with an amount of Rs 11.71 lakh as the 'Seva Nidhi Package’ and it will be exempted from income tax.

The protesters have called for a rollback of this policy, as the rules under the erstwhile recruitment drive allowed them to serve in the military for a period of 17 years. They were also eligible for pension and health benefits subsequent to their retirement.