Amid the nationwide furore over the controversial Agnipath scheme, The Centre on Saturday announced a 10 percent reservation for 'Agniveers' in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles.
The ministry also announced a 3-year age relaxation above the upper age limit for the recruitment of ‘Agniveers’ in the two forces. The first batch of ‘Agniveers’ will get an age relaxation of five years beyond the upper age limit. The announcement was made by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) earlier in the day on Twitter.
The MHA's announcement comes as violent protests have rocked the nation against the new scheme. The protests which started in Bihar later spread to Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh.
Meanwhile, 15 persons have been arrested and 225 others have been booked for violence for blocking the expressway near Noida during a protest.
Several student associations in Bihar, led by the All India Students’ Association (AISA), have called for a 24-hour bandh in the state today to protest the scheme.
‘Agnipath’ is a recruitment scheme recently introduced by the Central government to bring a change in the recruitment process of the Armed Forces. With the new military recruitment scheme facing a backlash by opposition, the Centre has decided to bring a change in the upper age limit for recruiting Agniveers.
Granting a one-time waiver, the Centre on June 16, 2022, announced that the Agniveer upper age limit for recruitments via 'Agnipath' Scheme has been extended to 23 years from 21 years.
