NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on June 18 approved a proposal to reserve 10 per cent of the job vacancies in the defence ministry for 'Agniveers' who meet requisite eligibility criteria.
The approval of the proposal comes amid mounting protests against the 'Agnipath' recruitment scheme for defence services that was announced on June 14.
"The 10 per cent reservation will be implemented in the Indian Coast Guard and defence civilian posts, and all the 16 Defence Public Sector Undertakings," Singh's office said. It said this reservation would be in addition to the existing quota for ex-servicemen.
"Necessary amendments to relevant recruitment rules will be undertaken to implement these provisions," the defence minister's office tweeted. "Defence Public Sector Undertakings will be advised to make similar amendments to their respective recruitment rules. Necessary age relaxation provision will also be made," it said.
The approval of the proposal came soon after Singh held a meeting with the top brass of the Army, Navy and the Air Force on June 18, on the overall situation following the announcement of the 'Agnipath' military recruitment scheme.
Earlier today, the Home Ministry had announced reservation in 10 per cent vacancies in the Central paramilitary forces and the Assam Rifles for 'Agniveers', besides a three-year relaxation in the upper age limit.
Unveiling the Agnipath scheme, the government had said youths between the ages of 17-and-a-half and 21 years would be inducted for a four-year tenure and 25 per cent of the recruits will be retained for regular service. The youths to be recruited under the new scheme would be called 'Agniveer'.
The upper age limit was raised to 23 years after violent protests against the new model for enrolment of soldiers into the Army, Navy and Air Force erupted in parts of the country.
A major objective of the scheme is to bring down the average age of military personnel and cut the ballooning salary and pension bills. The announcement of the new scheme came against the backdrop of recruitment in the military being stalled over the coronavirus pandemic for over two years.