The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced on Saturday that 10% of vacancies for recruitment in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles will be reserved for 'Agniveers', amid nationwide protests against the government's controversial new 'Agnipath' scheme for short-term recruitment in the Armed Forces.
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 5- years beyond the upper age limit, the ministry tweeted on Saturday.
Earlier, the government announced a one-time relaxation of the upper age limit for Armed Forces newcomers, raising it from 21 to 23 years, citing the lack of recruitment in the previous two years as a reason for the decision. Only applicants aged 17 and a half to 21 are eligible for recruitment under the initial scheme, which was unveiled on Tuesday. The Defence Ministry, on the other hand, announced on Thursday that "the upper age limit for the recruiting process for the Agnipath scheme for 2022 has been increased to 23 years."
Thousands of people have marched to the streets across the country in recent days to protest the scheme. As protestors clashed with police officials, trains were set on fire, tyres were burned, and water cannons were used, resulting in the entire closure of internet services in certain states.