Agnipath protest: List of states that announced 'preferences' for Agniveers

Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand are among the states that have already announced preferences for Agniveers.

Centre's Agnipath scheme which will recruit youngsters into the Army, the Navy and the Air Force for a period of four years has met severe criticism. Violent protests have been going on in several parts of the country for the past three days and the Centre already made a modification to the scheme by allowing a one-time age waiver. Union ministers, BJP leaders, and military services chiefs have defended the scheme while several BJP-ruled states have announced preference for Agniveers- the youngsters who will complete their four-year term in the military.  1 dead, 8 injured in violent ‘Agnipath’ protests at Secunderabad railway station

Several BJP-ruled states have already announced that they would give preferences to Agniveers in state government recruitment.(PTI)

List of states which have announced preferences for Agniveers and what are they

Assam

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that his government will prioritise those who come back from the Agnipath scheme after four years in the Assam Arogya Nidhi initiative. This initiative provides financial assistance up to ₹1,50,000 to BPL families and families having a monthly income of less than ₹10,000 for overall mediacal treatment.

Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath announced that Agniveers will be given priority in police recruitments and other government departments in UP.

Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan promised preferences to teh Agniveers in the police recruitment in the state.

Haryana

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said Agniveers will get priority in government jobs in the state once they complete their 4-year contract.

Uttarakhand

Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said Agniveers will get priority in police recruitment in the state.

Arunachal Pradesh

Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Friday announced Agniveers will get priority in state police jobs and in subsidy schemes. "Those wanting to start their own enterprise for Aatmanirbhar Arunachal will get preference under all credit-linked subsidy schemes of the state government," the chief minister announced.

Karnataka

Karnataka home minister Araga Jnanendra on Friday said the government has planned to give preference to Agniveers in recruitment to police services in the state.

Agnipath selection process for IAF

Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said the selection process for the IAF under the Agnipath scheme will begin on June 24.

Salary of Agniveers: The monthly salary of an 'Agniveer' in the first year of employment would be ₹30,000 and the in-hand amount would be ₹21,000 as ₹9,000 would go to a corpus with an equal contribution from the government. Subsequently, the monthly salary in the second, third and fourth year will be ₹33,000, ₹36,500 and ₹40,000. Each 'Agniveer' will get an amount of ₹11.71 lakh as 'Seva Nidhi Package' and it will be exempted from income tax.

What will Agniveers do after 4 years of service?

About 25% of Agniveers will be retained in their services while the state-announced benefits are for the rest 75%. The Centre said apart from a financial package of ₹12 lakh, Agniveers who want to be entrepreneurs will be given priority under bank loan schemes. Those who want to study further will be given a class 12 equivalent certificate and will be provided with a bridging course of choice for further studies.

For other employment opportunities, Agniveers will be given priority in CAPFs, Assam Rifles and police and allied forces in the state states.