With nationwide protests against the Agnipath scheme intensifying, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today announced the government’s decision to reserve ten per cent of the job vacancies in the Ministry of Defence for “Agniveers” meeting requisite eligibility criteria.
The announcement was made soon after the defence minister held a meeting with the three services chiefs at which the situation arising from the ongoing protests against the scheme for recruitment in the armed forces was discussed at length.
The meeting felt the misconceptions among the country’s youth with regard to the ambitious scheme must be addressed immediately.
The ten per cent reservation will be implemented in the Indian Coast Guard, defence civilian posts and all the 16 Defence Public Sector Undertakings.
These undertakings are Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) Limited, Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL), Mishra Dhatu Nigam (MIDHANI) Limited, Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVNL), Advanced Weapons & Equipment India Ltd. (AW&EIL), Munitions India Limited (MIL), Yantra India Limited (YIL), Gliders India Limited (GIL), India Optel Limited (IOL) and Troop Comforts Limited (TCL).
This reservation would be in addition to existing reservations for ex-servicemen.
Necessary amendments to relevant recruitment rules will be undertaken to implement these provisions. The DPSUs will be advised to make similar amendments to their respective recruitment rules. Necessary age relaxation provision will also be made to enable recruitment of Agniveers to the above posts.