Punjab plans reservation policy for Agniveers in govt jobs

Chandigarh: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday constituted a panel of senior civil and police officers to finalise a reservation policy for Agniveers in state govt jobs after completion of their tenure under the Centre's Agnipath scheme.Chairing a meeting, Mann gave "in-principle" approval to extending reservation benefits to Agniveers and directed the committee to prepare a policy framework in a time-bound manner."The basic contours of the reservation policy need to be worked out comprehensively so that Agniveers returning after serving the nation can be meaningfully rehabilitated," Mann said.The panel comprising Vikas Partap, Bhawna Garg, Sumer Singh Gurjar and S S Srivastava will prepare recommendations on recruitment and reservation modalities for Agniveers in various departments.Mann said trained Agniveers could be inducted into Punjab Police, forest guards, fire services, jails, Home Guards, PESCO and other govt wings.Launched in 2022, the Agnipath scheme recruits youth into the armed forces for a four-year tenure, after which only 25% are retained in regular service based on merit.