The Chief Minister's Office of Gujarat announced on Monday, 22 June 2026 that Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel has approved a 20 percent reservation for former Agniveers in direct recruitment to Class-3 (Group-3) cadre posts across various state government departments.

Context

The CMO post, written in Gujarati, states: 'મુખ્યમંત્રી શ્રી ભૂપેન્દ્રભાઈ પટેલે પૂર્વ અગ્નિવીરોને રાજ્ય સરકારના વિવિધ વિભાગોમાં વર્ગ-3 સંવર્ગની સીધી ભરતીમાં 20 ટકા અનામત આપવાનો મહત્વપૂર્ણ નિર્ણય કર્યો છે.' ('Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel has taken the important decision to provide 20 percent reservation to former Agniveers in direct recruitment to Class-3 cadre posts in various departments of the state government.') The announcement also extends two additional concessions: exemption from physical fitness tests during such recruitments, and an upper age relaxation of three years for all former Agniveers. Members of the first batch of the Agniveer scheme will receive an additional benefit — an upper age relaxation of five years.

Policy Backdrop

The Agniveer scheme was launched by the Government of India in June 2022 as a short-service military recruitment programme offering four-year tenures. Upon completion, a majority of Agniveers exit the armed forces and re-enter the civilian job market, creating a policy challenge around their rehabilitation. Gujarat joins several other Indian states that have introduced age relaxations, physical-test waivers, and job quotas for ex-Agniveers in uniformed and Class-3 state government services. Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel, who has helmed the state since September 2021, has framed this decision as recognition of the service and discipline that Agniveers bring to civilian roles.

Stakeholders and Impact

The benefits will apply to direct recruitment for the following posts: Armed Police Sub-Inspector, Armed Police Constable, SRP Platoon Commander, and Police Constable under the Gujarat Police. The Jail Department's Jailer Group-2 and Jail Sipahi posts are also covered, as are the Forest and Environment Department's Van Rakshak (Forest Guard) Class-3 and Van Pal (Forest Ranger) Class-3 cadres. The physical fitness test exemption is particularly significant for Agniveers who may carry service-related physical wear, ensuring their documented military training is weighted above standardised civilian fitness benchmarks. The first-batch age relaxation of five years acknowledges that early cohorts of the scheme had less time to prepare for civilian re-entry.

What's Next

Revised recruitment advertisements from the Gujarat Police, Jail Department, and Forest and Environment Department are expected to incorporate the 20 percent quota, the physical-test exemption, and the revised age limits in upcoming notification cycles. Former Agniveers seeking to apply will need to produce discharge documentation from the armed forces to claim the reservation. The state government's directives will now be translated into operational recruitment rules by the respective departments.