With the four-year term of the first batch of Agniveers scheduled to conclude by the end of this year, the Punjab Government has drafted a policy for the post-tenure rehabilitation of soldiers belonging to the state, earmarking reservations in select government departments.
Sources in the government said the policy envisioned 20 per cent reservation in posts of guards in the Department of Mines and 10 per cent for constables in the Punjab Police, Home Guards and forest guards in the Department of Forests and Wildlife.
“The policy has been prepared by the Department of Personnel in association with the Department of Defence Services Welfare and sent to the Chief Secretary for concurrence,” a state government official said. Once approved, it would be sent to the Cabinet for final clearance.
While Punjab is still in the process of finalising its rehabilitation policy for Agniveers, several other states have already announced such measures. Haryana has fixed 20 per cent horizontal reservation in direct recruitment for uniformed state organisations, including the police, forest guards, mining guards and jail warders.
Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh have also announced similar 20 per cent quotas. Various Central Government ministries have created quotas for Agniveers in the Central Armed Police Forces and other establishments, besides introducing skill development programmes and qualification certification.
Under the Agnipath scheme, implemented in 2022, Agniveers are recruited for a four-year period, including basic training. Out of these, 25 per cent are absorbed into the permanent cadre, while the rest are released from service. The Indian Air Force initiated training of the first batch on December 30, 2022, followed by the Indian Army and Navy in January 2023.
Punjab is the second-largest contributor of manpower to the armed forces after Uttar Pradesh and recruitment from the state often exceeds its prescribed quota. Vacancies allotted to other states that remain unutilised are frequently filled by candidates from Punjab.
Speaking at the Defence Skills Conclave organised by the Punjab Government in Chandigarh recently, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said Punjab, with its strong military tradition, could take the lead in tapping the skills of Agniveers by offering them institutional pathways to transition into the defence manufacturing ecosystem as supervisors, equipment maintainers or entrepreneurs.
