The reservation would include a 10 per cent horizontal quota for Agniveers in the posts of constable, mining guard, forest guard, jail warden, and special police officers.
Haryana's Bharatiya Janata Party government would give 10 per cent reservation to Agniveers in specific jobs, said Chief Minister Nayab Saini on Wednesday.
The reservation would include a 10 per cent horizontal quota for Agniveers in the posts of constable, mining guard, forest guard, jail warden, and special police officers, along with a three-year age waiver for Group B and C employment, and a five-year waiver for the first batch of Agniveers.
There would also be a 5 per cent horizontal reservation for Group C civil posts and a 1 per cent reservation for Group B jobs.
Industrial units offering Agniveers a salary above Rs 30,000 per month will receive a subsidy of Rs 60,000 annually from the state.
Furthermore, Agniveers will be eligible for a Rs 5 lakh loan if they wish to start a business, Saini said.
He said the Agnipath scheme, introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2022, aimed to benefit the youth.
"Our government has decided to allocate a quota for these youth (Agniveers) after they complete their four years in the Army."
The Haryana government's decision comes after the chiefs of the Central Industrial Security Force, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force and Sashastra Seema Bal said last week that 10 per cent posts of soldiers would be reserved for former Agniveers in their respective forces, in line with a decision by the Union home ministry.
At the time, a ministry of defence official had said that no physical test would be required for recruiting former Agniveers into paramilitary forces.
Instead, they would just need a physical fitness certificate.
The chiefs of various paramilitary forces had added that former Agniveers would also benefit from relaxations on age.
Lately, the Agnipath scheme has been facing criticism from the Opposition parties.
Political debates over the scheme reached Parliament in June, with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi criticising the Narendra Modi government and calling the scheme as 'use-and-throw labourers'.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had countered the allegation, saying it was developed with input from 158 organisations and after thorough consideration.
Gandhi had asserted that the INDIA bloc would ensure the Indian Army's strength is maintained and the issue remains in the spotlight.
Gandhi had also accused Singh of lying in Parliament about the compensation for families of deceased Agniveers and demanding the latter's apology.
In response, the Indian Army's Additional Directorate General of Public Information clarified that Agniveer Ajay Kumar, who died in the line of duty, and his family had been paid Rs 98.39 lakh, with an additional Rs 67 lakhs to be disbursed after final account settlement and police verification.
Haryana Congress' leader Deepender Hooda has also been vocal against the scheme.
In June, he had said the scheme was not beneficial for the youth or the country and called for its abolition in favour of permanent recruitment in the army.
Hooda had noted that previously, about 5,500 youths in Haryana were recruited permanently into the army each year, but now only 900 Agniveers are being inducted, with only about 225 expected to receive permanent positions.
Currently, the CISF reserves 10 per cent of its constable posts for Agniveers and offers age and physical efficiency test relaxations.
The Agnipath scheme recruits youths aged 17-and-a-half to 21 into the army for four years, with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for an additional 15 years.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
