UP govt to give 20% reservation in police, fire services to ex-Agniveers

The Uttar Pradesh government will provide 20 per cent reservation to the ex-Agniveers in the state police and fire department, an official said on Saturday.

The state government issued an order regarding this on June 6.

The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday said that it will provide 20 per cent reservation to ex-Agniveers in direct recruitment to several positions in the state police.


The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, UP Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna on Tuesday said the move aims to provide meaningful post-service opportunities to Agniveers, who have completed their four-year term under the Agnipath scheme.

"This is a significant decision. The reservation will be applicable across categories -- General, SC, ST and OBC. If an ex-Agniveer belongs to the SC category, the reservation will apply within SC; if OBC, then within OBC," he explained.

Special age relaxation of up to three years will also be provided to former Agniveers applying for these posts, he added.

There are four categories -- police constable, PAC constable, mounted police and fireman -- for which recruitment will be done. The first batch of recruits under this system will come out in 2026, Khanna said.

"Several states and central forces have already taken the initiative to provide reservations to Agniveers. States like Haryana and Odisha have offered 10 per cent reservation to former Agniveers. The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has now approved 20 per cent horizontal reservation, which is a bold and generous initiative," the minister said.

This not only recognises their service but ensures that they continue contributing to the nation's security infrastructure after their military stint, he said.

The Centre introduced the Agnipath scheme in 2022 for short-term induction of personnel in the Army, Navy and Air Force with an aim to bring down the age profile of the three services.