According to information provided to Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, the 10% reservation that would be granted to Agnaveers in the recruiting process for constable positions in the central armed police forces will be horizontal and will not influence the 50 percent cap maintained by the Supreme Court. This was said in a written response to a question by the Union minister of state for the home, Nityanand Rai. “For the recruitment to the positions of constable (general duty), a rifleman in the Central Armed Police Forces, and Assam Rifles, 10% of the openings have been approved in principle.” “This reservation will be horizontal, so it won’t affect the Supreme Court’s 50 percent cap,” he said.
Rai said relaxation in the upper age limit and exemption from the physical efficiency test will also be given to the former Agniveers.
The Center revealed the expansive Agnipath programme on June 14 in order to recruit young people into the Army, Navy, and Air Force, mostly on a four-year short-term contract basis, between the ages of 17 and 21. The individuals hired through the plan will be referred to as Agniveers. 25% of the trainees from each batch will be given regular duty after their four-year term is up.
Youths who are looking for jobs have protested the plan. The Union Home Ministry subsequently declared that the Agniveers will be given preference for 10% of open positions in the central armed police forces or paramilitary forces. In response to a different question, the minister stated that it was decided in January 2016 to reserve 33 percent of constable level positions in the CRPF and CISF for women to fill initially, as well as 14 to 15 percent of constable level positions in border guarding, which includes the BSF, SSB, and ITBP. According to him, there are currently 34,151 women serving in the central armed police forces and Assam Rifles, and recruitment efforts are underway.
