Will Request CM To Make Provision For Recruitment Of 'Agniveer' As Forest Guards: Bihar Minister

Senior BJP leader and Bihar minister Neeraj Kumar Singh on Wednesday said he will write to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, seeking reservation for ‘Agniveers’ as ‘forest guards’ in the state on their retirement, notwithstanding the JD(U)’s opposition to the short-service appointment scheme for armed forces. Singh, the state’s environment minister, said that states such as Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh have already announced supportive measures for the ‘Agniveers’ post-retirement from services, and suggested that the NDA government in Bihar should follow suit.

“I will soon send a letter to the CM seeking reservation for Agniveers in the recruitment of ‘forest guards’ and ‘foresters’. I have asked officials of the environment department to prepare a detailed note on this. Several state governments have already announced that Agniveers, after serving a limited period in armed forces, will be given preference in police forces and other departments,” the minister told on Wednesday. Violent protests over the scheme had broken out in the state last month, with Army job aspirants blocking roads and setting fire to trains and buses seeking its immediate rollback.

The CM has maintained silence over the whole issue thus far, but his party’s national chief Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh had urged the Centre to reconsider the Agnipath scheme. “There should not be any confusion over this scheme. Our central leadership has already made it clear that this scheme is good for the youth of the country. Several states like Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Karnataka have already announced supportive measures for the Agniveers,” he said. 

(With PTI Inputs)