The Union home ministry has asked the brass of the central armed police forces (CAPFs) to coordinate activities for the career progression of the first batch of Agniveers who will exit later this year after completing four years in the defence forces, sources said.
Under the Agnipath scheme, launched in 2022, Agniveers are not entitled to gratuity and pension. Seventy-five per cent of them will be demobilised after four years, while the rest will be retained in the regular cadre based on merit and organisational requirements.
According to an official, the ministry has directed the CAPF leadership to set up an internal committee to facilitate the career progression of former Agniveers, determine their responsibilities and identify where they could be absorbed in the paramilitary forces.
"The ministry has asked the top brass to examine the modalities of ex-Agniveers' induction into CAPFs and where they could be inducted in the forces to get the maximum capacity utilisation. The ministry will come out with a policy decision soon on this," the official said.
The first batch of 46,000 Agniveers — the controversial short-term military recruitment scheme in the country’s armed forces — is set to exit the armed forces after completing their four-year tenure. These personnel were recruited into the army, navy and air force for a four-year term.
Earlier this month, CISF director-general Praveer Ranjan had said the home ministry would bring out a comprehensive policy for the integration of former Agniveers with the central armed police forces following consultation with the CAPFs.
Agniveers coming from the navy, he said, can be utilised for port security in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
Last month, the home ministry released a gazette notification mandating a 50 per cent quota for Agniveers in the CAPF, a significant jump from the earlier mandate of 10 per cent by the ministry of home affairs.
Following a nationwide protest by armed forces job aspirants over serious concerns about their future job security, the government had announced a reservation of 10 per cent of jobs in the defence and home ministries to absorb Agniveers.
The home ministry had also announced a five-year age relaxation beyond the upper age limit for Agniveers to join the CAPFs and the Assam Rifles for the first batch of such soldiers.
The existing CAPF recruitment rules mandate a quota of 27 per cent for the Other Backwards Classes, 15 per cent for Scheduled Castes and 7.5 per cent for the Scheduled Tribes, along with a quota of 10 per cent for ex-servicemen.