NEW DELHI: The government has issued a notification reserving 50 per cent of Group C vacancies in the Assam Rifles for ex-Agniveers, allowing them preferential recruitment to the post of Rifleman/Riflewoman (General Duty), officials said on Tuesday.
The reservation has been introduced through an amendment to the recruitment rules of the border-guarding force, they said, adding that under the revised rules, ex-Agniveers would be considered in the first phase of the annual recruitment process, with half of the vacancies set aside for them, and the second phase would cover the remaining vacancies as well as posts left unfilled in the first phase.
In the notification, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said it also provides significant concessions to ex-Agniveers, as the first batch, whose four-year tenure is due to end later this year, would be eligible for an age relaxation of up to five years.
Subsequent batches would receive an upper-age relaxation of up to three years, against the regular eligibility range of 18-23 years, it added.
Ex-Agniveers will also be exempted from the Physical Efficiency Test, Physical Standard Test and written examination, the MHA said in the notification.
Under the Agnipath scheme, launched in 2022, personnel are recruited into the Army, Navy and Air Force for four years, after which up to 25 per cent are retained for longer service, while the rest are discharged from the armed forces. The Army inducted 46,000 Agniveers in its first batch.
The MHA said existing reservation provisions would apply across both recruitment phases. The move comes days after similar amendments were made to CRPF recruitment rules. The ministry has also revised rules for the BSF, CISF and SSB to expand opportunities for ex-Agniveers, as 50 per cent of fresh recruitments are reserved for Agniveers in these forces.