Guwahati, October 4: The Assam Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, has approved a 12 per cent reservation in constable and equivalent posts for permanent residents of Assam who are serving, or have served, under the Agnipath scheme.
According to the cabinet release reported by news agencies, the reservation will apply to constable and equivalent posts in the Assam Police, Commando Battalions, Jail, Fire Services, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Forest Guards, and the Excise Department. The benefit is restricted to permanent residents of Assam under the scheme. India Today North East, reporting the Chief Minister’s briefing, described the beneficiaries as Agniveers indigenous to Assam and listed constable-level posts in the Assam Police, Assam Fire and Emergency Services, SDRF, the Assam Forest Department, and the Excise Department.
The cabinet release restated the stated purpose of Agnipath: to give patriotic and motivated youth a four-year opportunity to serve in the Armed Forces, maintain a youthful profile in the services, and return skilled, disciplined, and motivated manpower to civilian life. The state decision is framed as a pathway into uniformed state posts after that tenure.
The first Agniveer batches, enrolled after the scheme was introduced in June 2022, are approaching the end of their four-year engagement. Under the scheme, up to 25 per cent may be retained in the regular cadre; the remainder exit after four years. At the Centre, the Ministry of Home Affairs has already created an Ex-Agniveer category with 50 per cent reservation in Constable (General Duty) posts in the Central Armed Police Forces and Rifleman posts in the Assam Rifles, along with age relaxation and exemption from the Physical Standards Test, Physical Efficiency Test, and written examination. Assam’s decision is separate and applies only to the state posts named above.
The cabinet approval will require corresponding changes in recruitment rules before it can be applied in notifications. The release does not specify age relaxation, physical-test exemption, or a written-examination waiver for the state posts.
The same meeting also cleared a separate Commissioner post for the Public Works Department (Roads–National Highways), draft memoranda for Jal Jeevan Mission works in the Bodoland Territorial Council, Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, and Dima Hasao Autonomous Council, a ₹10,200 crore investment proposal from Dalmia Bharat, one-time financial assistance of ₹10 crore for infrastructure of the Assam Regiment, and a monthly grant of ₹1 lakh to Madhupur Satra. The Chief Minister also said Tata Consultancy had been tasked with a project report to extend the Brahmaputra riverfront from Kachari Bazar to Kamakhya.
