Agniveers announcement last year created enough uproar. The Government, for its part, gave in-depth explanations. When all wings of the armed forces have already approved it, there are no further reasons for any apprehensions. In addition to the explanations, the Government had assured a 10 percent reservation for Agniveers in the Central Paramilitary Forces and Assam Rifles. Agniveers are being recruited at the young age of seventeen and a half to twenty-one years, with an initial contract of four years. After the completion of four years, 25 percent will be retained, and the rest will get preferential quotas in the police and other forces. Youth are concerned about joining the Central Paramilitary Forces because the upper age limit is twenty-three years. So practically, a twenty-one-year-old youth who served four years and left the army at the age of twenty-five cannot apply for these forces. The Government has now announced an age relaxation of five years for the first batch of Agniveers, and subsequently, batches will get a three-year relaxation. The promised 10% reservation and age relaxation notifications have been issued simultaneously, and obviously, the accrued benefits will be delivered after four years. There are enough vacancies in the Central Paramilitary Forces and Police Forces for Agniveers and the paramilitary forces will also benefit as armed forces-trained manpower joins their ranks. The additional benefit to volunteers is that they don’t have to pass the physical proficiency test, which is the major reason for the rejection of candidates. The requisite Central Industrial Security Force Act, 1968, has been amended to include these clauses. The Government has now addressed virtually all youth concerns in black and white, with no exceptions. Youth are nation builders, and their enormous contribution is always the deciding factor for the country’s future. Recruitment for the armed forces and paramilitary forces has begun. The mutual benefits will build a much stronger bond between the youth and the administration.
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