Agniveer soldiers will be given reservation in the State police and armed forces recruitment, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said on July 26, on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas, the 25th anniversary of India’s victory over Pakistan in the Kargil War.
Mr. Yadav made the announcement in a video message he shared on X. “Today, on the occasion of Kargil Day, Madhya Pradesh government has decided that as per the wishes of our illustrious Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, Agniveer jawans will be given reservation in the recruitment of police and (State’s) armed forces,” he said.
“The Agniveer scheme is in the real sense an attempt to not only modernize the armed forces and to recruit capable jawans but also to make it young at the global level,” the Chief Minister said.
Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have also announced similar reservations for the Agniveers. While Uttarakhand has promised quota in government jobs, the Uttar Pradesh government said Agniveers will get reservation in government jobs, particularly in the police and Provincial Armed Constabulary.
Under the Agnipath Scheme, soldiers are recruited in the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force for a period of four years. Rolled out in 2022, the scheme has faced heavy criticism from several Opposition parties and protests from many young aspirants in Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. The matter was an election issue in the recent Lok Sabha polls with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi promising to scrap the scheme.
Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior-Chambal region, which has a large number of armed forces aspirants, had also seen massive protests after the announcement of the Agnipath Scheme.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Yadav visited the Shaurya Smarak in Bhopal to pay tributes to the heroes of the Kargil war of 1999.
Published - July 27, 2024 06:36 am IST
