New Delhi: Union Government on Saturday announced concessions to the Agnipath recruitment scheme aspirants after their short term retirement, amidst the protests against the scheme across the country.

The Union Home Ministry announced that 10% vacancies in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles would be reserved for Agniveers; Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved a similar proposal for Agniveers once they complete their initial four year tenure in the armed forces.

The Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Office announced that necessary age relaxation provision will also be made. To be implemented in the Indian Coast Guard and defence civilian posts and all the 16 Defence public sector undertakings, this will be in addition to an existing reservation for ex-servicemen.

The concessions by the two Ministries come close on the heels of the Government’s one-time relaxation in the upper age limit for aspirants for the armed forces this year, raising it from 21 to 23, especially when there has been no recruitment drive for the last two years. When the Agnipath scheme was announced on June 14^th, aspirants between 17-and-a-half and 21 years of age were eligible for recruitment.

Union Home Ministry also decided to give three years age relaxation beyond the prescribed upper age limit to Agniveers for recruitment to CAPFs and Assam Rifles. Besides this, for the first batch of Agniveers, the age relaxation will be for five years beyond the prescribed upper age limit.

Karnataka, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Assam States announced a preference to Agniveers in state police recruitment in addition to the MoD and MHA. The Government in a press note said that the state police forces will greatly benefit from the training and discipline inculcated to Agniveers by the armed forces and their capabilities in tackling insurgency, Naxalism and natural disasters will be hugely augmented.

The Government said that financial institutions will extend support. In order to identify ways in which the Banks and Financial Institutions can support the Agniveers on completion of their tenure of duty, the Secretary, Department of Financial Services (DFS) held a meeting with Chief Executives of Public Sector Banks (PSBs), Public Sector Insurance Companies (PSICs) and Financial Institutions (FIs).