MHA Announces 10% Reservation In CISF Jobs For Ex-Agniveers; Here’s What Will Change

The ministry also notified relaxation in the upper age limit depending on whether they are part of the first batch or subsequent batches of Agniveers.

Reservations for ex-Agniveers: A week after the government announced a 10 per cent reservation for former Agniveers in BSF, the Union home ministry has announced a similar quota for the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). The ministry also notified relaxation in the upper age limit depending on whether they are part of the first batch or subsequent batches of Agniveers.

Major announcements for CISF Agniveers

• Ten per cent of the vacancies shall be reserved for ex-Agniveers.
• The upper age limit shall be relaxable up to five years for candidates of the first batch of former Agniveers and up to three years for candidates of other batches.
• Ex-Agniveers will also be exempted from the physical efficiency test, the notification said.

Agnipath scheme

The Centre had on June 14 last year unveiled the ambitious Agnipath scheme for the 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. Those recruited under the scheme are 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. At that time, the home ministry had announced that 10 per cent vacancies in central paramilitary forces and Assam Rifles shall be reserved for demobilised 75 per cent Agniveers.

It had also announced that the upper age limit was also 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 specified age limit for recruitment to paramilitary forces is 18-23 years.

Those who join the armed forces even at the upper age limit of 21 years under the Agnipath scheme can be recruited by the CISF till the age of 30 after four years of service in the Army, the Air Force or the Navy in the case of the first batch and till 28 years for the subsequent batches.

A similar change was also made in the case of the Border Security Force (BSF).

The home ministry’s decision for the absorption of Agniveers into paramilitary forces is significant as it will help the former Agniveers get employment opportunities till the age of retirement.

The paramilitary forces will also be benefitted as they will get a trained pool of personnel to fill up over 84,800 vacancies.

About CISF

CISF, a paramilitary force of nearly 170,000 personnel under the home ministry, primarily provides security to 66 sensitive and major airports, 14 seaports, nuclear and space institutions, the Delhi Metro, Statue of Unity in Gujarat and other industrial units. Besides, the force is also engaged in providing security to 11 private establishments.