New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs issued an announcement that there will be ten per cent reservation or former Agniveers in vacancies in the Border Security Forces along with relaxations in the upper age limit, PTI reported.
A notification was released after amending the Border Security Force, General Duty Cadre (Non-Gazetted) Recruitment Rules, 2015, and the same are effective from March 9.
The notification said, "Ten per cent of the vacancies shall be reserved for ex-Agniveers."
The ministry said while the upper age limit would be relaxable to up to five years for candidates of the first batch of ex-Agniveers, the limit would be relaxable to up to three years for candidates of other batches. Former Agniveers will also be exempted from the physical efficiency test, the notification said.
The Centre, on June 14 last year, unveiled the Agnipath scheme for recruitment of youths aged between 17 and a half and 21 in the army, the navy, and the air force, largely on a four-year short-term contractual basis.
Those recruited under the scheme will be known as 'Agniveers'. After the completion of the four-year tenure, 25 per cent of the recruits from each batch will be offered regular service.
At that time, the home ministry had announced that 10 per cent vacancies in central paramilitary forces and the Assam Rifles would be reserved for demobilised 75 per cent Agniveers.
It had also announced that the upper age limit was relaxed for the first batch of ex-Agniveers by up to five years and for the subsequent batches for three years. In addition, the ex-Agniveers would be exempted from the physical proficiency test, the ministry had said.
The specified age limit for recruitment to paramilitary forces is 18-23 years.
For those who join the armed forces even at the upper age limit of 21 years under the Agnipath scheme, they can be recruited with the BSF till the age of 30 after four years of service in the army or the air force or the navy in case of the first batch and till 28 years for the subsequent batches.