Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Sep 29: The Maharashtra Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, on Tuesday approved a policy for direct recruitment of retired Agniveers into the state police force and other uniformed services without competitive examinations or fresh training.

Under the new policy, the state government has introduced a 10 per cent horizontal reservation for ex-Agniveers in Group-C uniformed posts, including the police force, fire services and coastal security, Chief Minister Fadnavis said.

Ex-Agniveers will be inducted into state police and other uniformed services without appearing for recruitment examinations or undergoing initial training again. Upper age-limit relaxations will also be provided to accommodate Agniveers completing their service tenure and seeking state government employment.

Ex-Agniveers discharged from the Indian Navy will be directly inducted into Maharashtra's coastal security wing. The government will relax sanctioned-post limits as a special measure to accommodate all interested Navy veterans, Fadnavis said.

The policy will also cover various state security cadres, including the Fire Department and correctional security forces.

"The first batch of Agniveers will soon complete their four-year service tenure. Every Agniveer who wishes to transition into state government service will be absorbed directly into our police and uniformed services without exam or training barriers," Fadnavis said.

The move comes as the first batch of Agniveers approaches the completion of its four-year tenure under the Armed Forces' Agnipath recruitment scheme. The state government said the policy would make use of the military training and experience of the personnel while providing them with an avenue for continued employment in uniformed services.

Alongside the Agniveer policy, the Maharashtra Cabinet also approved changes to drought assistance norms.

Under the revised mechanism, sub-committees will assess the ground-level impact on agriculture at the circle (mandal) level to extend financial assistance even to tehsils that do not strictly meet the meteorological parameters under 'Trigger-2'.

The Cabinet also approved a state-wide strategy to ensure adequate availability of feed and fodder for livestock at the district level.