Haryana announces 10% job quota, ₹60,000 subsidy for Agniveers: Check list of benefits

The Haryana government on Wednesday announced a 10 per cent quota for Agniveers in posts of constable, mining guard, forest guard, jail warden and special police officer. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini also said the government will offer a subsidy of ₹60,000 per annum to the industrial unit that pays an Agniveer a salary of ₹30,000 per month.

Amid rising controversy about the Agnipath scheme, the Haryana government introduced schemes and job quotas aimed at assuaging Agniveers' fears of uncertainty.

At a press conference in Chandigarh, CM Saini said that in direct recruitment to posts of constable, mining guard, forest guard, jail warden and special police officer made by the state government, there will be a 10 per cent horizontal reservation for Agniveers.

The chief minister mentioned that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government approved the Agnipath scheme on June 14, 2022.

Under this scheme, an Agniveer is deployed in the Indian Army for 4 years.

CM Saini announced, "Our government will provide 10 per cent horizontal reservation to Agniveers in Haryana in direct recruitment to the posts of constable, mining guard, forest guard, jail warden and SPO recruited by the state government."

Haryana govt announces benefits for Agniveers

-The Haryana government promised an age relaxation of 3 years in the maximum age prescribed for government posts in Groups B and C for Agniveers.

-In the case of the first batch of Agniveers, this age relaxation will be 5 years.

-The Haryana government will provide 5 per cent horizontal reservation for Agniveers in direct recruitment to civil posts in Group C and 1 per cent horizontal reservation in Group B.

-If Agniveer is given a salary of more than ₹30,000 per month by any industrial unit, then the state government will give a subsidy of ₹60,000 per annum to that industrial unit.

What is Agnipath Scheme?

Agnipath Scheme is a tour-of-duty style scheme approved by the Government of India on June 14, 2022, and implemented in the country in September 2022 for recruiting soldiers below the rank of commissioned officers into the Army, Navy, and Air Force services of the armed forces.

All recruits are hired only for a four-year period. Personnel recruited under this system are called Agniveers.

The introduction of the scheme has been criticised for lack of consultation and public debate.

Agniveer controversy

Recently, a controversy erupted over the compensation of a slain Agniveer. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi has criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government for failing to compensate the family of Agniveer Ajay Kumar, who died in a landmine explosion in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Congress leader shared a video in which Ajay Kumar’s father said the family had received no support from the Centre and only some help from the Punjab government.

Ajay Kumar's father noted that though Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had claimed in Parliament that ₹1 crore would be given to the family of martyred Agniveers, they had received nothing.

The Indian Army, however, refuted the claims, emphasising that the last rites were conducted with full military honours and that the family had already received ₹98.39 lakh.

Additionally, ex-gratia and other benefits totalling approximately ₹67 lakh, in accordance with the provisions of the Agniveer Scheme, will be paid upon final account settlement following due police verification, bringing the total amount to approximately ₹1.65 crore.