NEW DELHI: Former personnel under the Agnipath scheme, known as Agniveers, will now be eligible for a 50% reservation in the posts of Constable (General Duty) and Rifleman within the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and the Assam Rifles. This significant development was communicated by the Union Home Ministry to the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
Junior Home Minister Nityanand Rai, in response to a written question, confirmed that the government has established a new 'ex-Agniveer' category for these specific positions. Beyond the 50% vacancy quota, ex-Agniveers will benefit from a three-year relaxation in the prescribed upper age limit. Furthermore, candidates from the inaugural batch of ex-Agniveers will receive an extended age relaxation of five years beyond the standard upper age limit.
Adding to these benefits, ex-Agniveers applying for CAPF Constable (General Duty) and Rifleman roles will be exempted from critical stages of the recruitment process, including the physical standards test, physical efficiency test, and the written examination. To streamline and coordinate the career progression of these former service members, a dedicated 'ex-Agniveer wing' has been established under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
It is noteworthy that the first cohort of Agniveers is yet to complete its four-year tenure. This initiative builds upon earlier measures, as a notification reportedly issued by the home ministry in December 2025 had amended the Border Security Force, General Duty Cadre (Non-Gazetted) Recruitment Rules, 2015, to facilitate increased quotas for ex-Agniveers.
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