More PSUs may give preference to Agniveers
NEW DELHI: Companies controlled by the central government, such as the State Bank of India, Life Insurance Corporation of India, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Heavy Electricals, NTPC, Coal India and Airports Authority of India, may soon be asked to give preference to Agniveers on merit in various positions after they complete their four-year tour of duty in the armed forces, two officials aware of the development said.
All administrative ministries and departments of public sector firms are working on it and will be announcing their strategy to separately absorb the Agniveers, they said, requesting anonymity. The home ministry has already said that 10% of the vacancies in central armed police forces and Assam Rifles will be reserved for the Agniveers.
“A similar move is under active consideration in the finance ministry,” one of the officials said.
The department of financial services (DFS), an arm of the finance ministry and regulator of financial institutions, on Friday said it is holding meetings with state-owned banks and insurers to find ways to support Agniveers in existing government schemes and insurance products.
The Union cabinet on June 14 approved “an attractive recruitment scheme” for Indian youth in the armed forces called Agnipath. The youth selected under this scheme will be known as Agniveers.
The DFS is working on a plan to absorb them after they complete their tenure in army, it said in a statement. Agnipath allows an opportunity to youth to serve in the armed forces for four years.