Haryana introduces a 10% quota for Agniveers: ₹60,000 Subsidy for Agniveers Benefits Overview

Haryana introduces a 10% quota for Agniveers in roles such as constable, mining guard, forest guard, jail warden, and special police officer.

On Wednesday, the Haryana government announced a 10% job quota for Agniveers in positions including constable, mining guard, forest guard, jail warden, and special police officer. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini also revealed a subsidy of ₹60,000 per annum for industrial units paying Agniveers ₹30,000 per month. These initiatives aim to address concerns and controversies surrounding the Agnipath scheme.

At a press conference held in Chandigarh, CM Saini announced that the state government will implement a 10% horizontal reservation for Agniveers in direct recruitments for positions such as constable, mining guard, forest guard, jail warden, and special police officer.

The chief minister noted that the Agnipath scheme was approved by the Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 14, 2022.

Under this scheme, an Agniveer serves in the Indian Army for 4 years.

CM Saini declared, “Our government will implement a 10% horizontal reservation for Agniveers in Haryana in direct recruitment for positions such as constable, mining guard, forest guard, jail warden, and SPO under the state government.”

Haryana Govt Announces Benefits for Agniveers:

• The Haryana government pledges a 3-year age relaxation in the maximum age limit for government posts in Groups B and C for Agniveers.
• For the initial batch of Agniveers, this age relaxation extends to 5 years.
• Additionally, the Haryana government will introduce a 5% horizontal reservation for Agniveers in direct recruitment to civil posts in Group C and a 1% horizontal reservation in Group B.
• If an industrial unit pays an Agniveer a salary exceeding ₹30,000 per month, the state government will provide a subsidy of ₹60,000 per annum to that industrial unit.

What is Agnipath Scheme?

The Agnipath Scheme, endorsed by the Government of India on June 14, 2022, and operational since September 2022, is a tour-of-duty initiative aimed at recruiting non-commissioned officers into the Army, Navy, and Air Force services of the armed forces.

All recruits are employed for a fixed four-year term. Individuals recruited under this initiative are referred to as Agniveers.

The implementation of the scheme has faced criticism for its lack of consultation and public debate.

Controversy Surrounding Agniveer

Recently, controversy arose regarding the compensation for a deceased Agniveer. Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, has criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government for its failure to compensate the family of Agniveer Ajay Kumar, who lost his life in a landmine explosion in Jammu and Kashmir. In a shared video, the Congress leader highlighted statements from Ajay Kumar’s father, who expressed that the family had received minimal support from the Centre and some assistance from the Punjab government.

Ajay Kumar’s father pointed out that despite Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s assurance in Parliament of providing ₹1 crore to families of martyred Agniveers, they had not received any such amount.

Contrary to these claims, the Indian Army clarified that the last rites were conducted with full military honours and that the family had already been disbursed ₹98.39 lakh.

Furthermore, an ex-gratia payment and additional benefits amounting to about ₹67 lakh, as per the Agniveer Scheme’s provisions, will be disbursed after the final account settlement, subject to police verification. This brings the total amount to approximately ₹1.65 crore.