Assam Cabinet Approves 12% Reservation for Agniveers in Police, SDRF and Fire Services Posts

Guwahati, October 4: The Assam Cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, has approved a 12 per cent reservation for permanent residents of the state who are serving, or have served, under the Agnipath scheme in constable and equivalent posts across several state services.

According to a cabinet release reported by news agencies, the quota will apply to constable and equivalent positions in the Assam Police, Commando Battalions, Jail, Fire Services, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Forest Guards and the Excise Department. The benefit is limited to permanent residents of Assam covered under the scheme. India Today North East, reporting the Chief Minister’s briefing, described the beneficiaries as Agniveers indigenous to Assam and said the reservation would cover constable-level posts in the Assam Police, Assam Fire and Emergency Services, SDRF, the Assam Forest Department and the Excise Department.

The state government’s move comes as the first batches of Agniveers recruited after the scheme was launched in June 2022 near the end of their four-year service period. The cabinet release repeated the government’s stated purpose of the Agnipath scheme: to give patriotic and motivated youth a four-year opportunity to serve in the Armed Forces, keep the services youthful and send back trained, disciplined and motivated personnel to civilian life. Assam’s decision is intended to offer such personnel a route into uniformed state jobs after completing that tenure.

Under the Agnipath framework, up to 25 per cent of recruits can be retained in the regular cadre after four years, while the rest leave the service at the end of the engagement. At the Centre, the Ministry of Home Affairs has already created an Ex-Agniveer category with 50 per cent reservation in Constable (General Duty) posts in the Central Armed Police Forces and Rifleman posts in the Assam Rifles. That central policy also provides age relaxation and exemptions from the Physical Standards Test, Physical Efficiency Test and written examination. The Assam Cabinet’s decision is separate and applies only to the state posts named in the release.

The approval will not take effect immediately in recruitment exercises. The cabinet decision will need corresponding changes in recruitment rules before it can be implemented in notifications. The release did not specify whether Assam will extend age relaxation, physical-test exemptions or a waiver from the written examination for the reserved state posts.

The same cabinet meeting also cleared a separate Commissioner post for the Public Works Department (Roads–National Highways), draft memoranda for Jal Jeevan Mission works in the Bodoland Territorial Council, Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council and Dima Hasao Autonomous Council, a ₹10,200 crore investment proposal from Dalmia Bharat, one-time financial assistance of ₹10 crore for infrastructure of the Assam Regiment, and a monthly grant of ₹1 lakh to Madhupur Satra. Chief Minister Sarma also said Tata Consultancy had been tasked with preparing a project report to extend the Brahmaputra riverfront from Kachari Bazar to Kamakhya.