Team News Riveting
New Delhi, March 10
The Union Home Ministry has announced 10 per cent reservation for former Agniveers in vacancies in the Border Security Force with relaxations in the upper age-limit.
The move is seen as a big breakthrough in giving a boost to the Government’s Agniveer scheme. The announcement was made through a notification after amending the Border Security Force, General Duty Cadre (Non-Gazetted) Recruitment Rules, 2015. The notification will come into effect from March 9.
“Ten per cent of the vacancies shall be reserved for ex-Agniveers,” the notification said. The Ministry said while the upper age limit would be relaxable to up to five years for candidates of the first batch of ex-Agniveers, the limit would be relaxable to up to three years for candidates of other batches. Former Agniveers will also be exempted from the physical efficiency test, the notification said.
The Agnipath scheme for recruitment of youths aged between 17 and a half and 21 in the army, the navy and the air force, largely on a four-year short-term contractual basis, was unveiled on June 14 last year. Those recruited under the scheme will be known as ‘Agniveers’. After the completion of the four-year tenure, 25 per cent of the recruits from each batch will be offered regular service.
It had also announced that the upper age limit was relaxed for the first batch of ex-Agniveers by up to five years and for the subsequent batches for three years. In addition, the ex-Agniveers would be exempted from the physical proficiency test, the ministry had said.
The for recruiting Agniveers into paramilitary forces is significant as it will help them getting employment opportunities till retirement age while the paramilitary forces will be benefitted as they will get a trained pool of personnel to fill up over 70,000 vacancies.
