West Bengal Announces 20% Quota for Ex-Agniveers in Police, Fire and Forest Jobs

West Bengal will reserve 20 per cent of posts in the state police, fire and emergency services, forest department and civil defence for retired Agniveers, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced on Sunday, pitching the move as a way to use the training and operational experience gained under the Centre’s Agnipath scheme.

The announcement came after a programme in Garden Reach, where Defence Minister Rajnath Singh laid the foundation stone for five brownfield expansion projects of Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE). Adhikari said he informed the Defence Minister about the reservation decision, adding that Singh “was pleased to hear that 20% posts have been reserved for Agniveers in police, fire brigade, forest and civil defence.”

The quota will apply to recruitment in four departments that are directly linked to public safety and emergency response. According to Adhikari, the discipline and training acquired by Agniveers in the Army, Navy and Air Force would make them suitable for work involving law and order, search-and-rescue duties, forest protection and disaster management.

West Bengal’s decision brings the state in line with several other states and Union Territories that have already extended similar horizontal reservations to ex-Agniveers, particularly in police and other uniformed services. Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi and Gujarat are among those that have announced 20 per cent reservations in comparable posts, while some states have set the figure at 10 per cent. In West Bengal’s own 2026 budget, the government had earlier indicated a 10 per cent reservation for Agniveers “wherever applicable” as part of its plan to fill one lakh government vacancies.

New disaster response force

Alongside the reservation, the state is also creating a specialised 200-member disaster management and civil defence unit called Arjun Bahini, also referred to as Arjun Vahini. The force is being modelled on the National Disaster Response Force and will be equipped with modern technology, vehicles and other equipment for quick rescue and response operations.

The unit is expected to become operational in September 2026, when the Chief Minister is slated to inaugurate it. Because the first batch of Agniveers will complete their four-year service and become available only around January 2027, the initial strength will consist of 200 ex-servicemen selected through the Sainik Board.

The deployment plan has been designed around West Bengal’s different risk zones. Of the 200 personnel, 100 will be posted in Kolkata to respond to urban emergencies and building collapses, 50 will be deployed in the hills, mainly the Darjeeling area, to handle landslides, and another 50 will be stationed in the Sagar-Kakdwip coastal belt for cyclone and flood response.

Adhikari linked the creation of Arjun Bahini to the Taratala warehouse collapse in June 2026. On June 24, the roof of an under-construction warehouse in Kolkata’s Taratala area collapsed, trapping workers under debris. The death toll later rose to 16, with several others injured. Rescue operations involved the NDRF, the Indian Army, Kolkata Police, fire services and other agencies. The Chief Minister said the incident, together with the experience of Cyclone Amphan in 2020, showed the need for a better-equipped and faster state-level disaster response force in a city with heavy construction activity.

Once the Agniveers become available, they are expected to be inducted into the new force. The state government has also begun broader coordination with the Sainik Board on employment opportunities for ex-servicemen.

NCC return to schools and colleges

Adhikari also said the state plans to reintroduce and expand the National Cadet Corps in schools and colleges across West Bengal. The move would reverse the earlier approach under the previous Trinamool Congress government, which had discontinued NCC enrolment in many institutions and introduced the ‘Jai Hind Bahini’ instead.

The Chief Minister said many students had been missing out on NCC training that helps instil discipline and patriotism. He said he had discussed the matter with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who pointed out that schools and colleges can apply under the existing protocol. Adhikari said he would write to the Defence Ministry on the issue.

According to Adhikari, NCC certification could also serve as an additional qualification for recruitment to the state police, fire services and other uniformed posts, while giving aspirants a stronger base for entry into the armed forces and paramilitary services.

What the Agnipath scheme means

The Agnipath scheme, launched in 2022, recruits young men and women as Agniveers into the Army, Navy and Air Force for a fixed four-year term. Up to 25 per cent of each batch may be retained in the regular cadre, while the rest leave service with a Seva Nidhi package and are expected to look for civilian opportunities.

Several state governments and Central Armed Police Forces have since introduced quotas, age relaxations and exemptions from some physical or written tests to help absorb ex-Agniveers into police, fire, forest, jail and other security-related jobs. Some central forces, including the BSF and SSB, have gone further and reserved 50 per cent of constable vacancies for ex-Agniveers in certain cases.

For West Bengal, the new reservation creates a route for the first cohort of Agniveers, expected to be available from early 2027, into state jobs that can use their training. It also adds a dedicated disaster-response capability across urban, hilly and coastal areas, while the return of NCC is intended to rebuild a stream of disciplined young applicants for military and civil-security roles.

The state’s approach is also politically notable. Former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had been critical of the Agnipath scheme and of the Centre’s call for states to prioritise recruitment of retiring Agniveers. The BJP-led government in West Bengal has taken the opposite line, describing the reservation and the Arjun Bahini as practical measures to use trained manpower and fill local emergency-response gaps.

Official notifications are expected to spell out the implementation details of the 20 per cent quota, including whether it will be a horizontal reservation, which categories of posts will be covered, and whether there will be age relaxations or exemptions from tests. The Arjun Bahini, meanwhile, is being positioned as an immediate operational initiative, with Agniveer intake to follow once the first batch completes its service.