MHA sidesteps Rahul Gandhi’s query on Agniveers career progression

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday (February 10, 2026) evaded a response to a pointed question from Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha on why it—and not the Ministry of Defence—has been assigned the responsibility of coordinating the career progression of Agniveers, despite their service in the armed forces.

Mr. Gandhi sought to know whether the MHA had been tasked with coordinating the post-service career progression of Agniveers, and whether the government had assessed possible overlap or coordination challenges between the MHA and the Defence Ministry in managing the transition of ex-Agniveers. He also asked for details of the specific activities and programmes that the MHA would oversee for them.

Also Read: Explained | The Agnipath scheme for armed forces

In a written reply, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said, “The distribution of subjects among Ministries/ Departments has been specified in the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961. As per the amendment issued by the Cabinet Secretariat notification No.S.O.2701(E) dated 16.06.2025, the subject of ‘coordinating activities for further progress of Ex-Agniveers’ is allocated to the MHA.”

The reply added, “A dedicated ex-Agniveer wing and an ex-Agniveer cell have been created within the MHA for smooth coordination, monitoring, and formulation of rehabilitation policies for ex-Agniveers.”

The Hindu had reported on June 17, 2025, that nearly a year before the first batch of Agniveers was due to retire, the MHA was tasked with the responsibility of coordinating activities related to their “further progression”.

The Agnipath Scheme was launched on June 14, 2022, to recruit soldiers, airmen and sailors into the three services for a four-year tenure, replacing the earlier system of permanent recruitment. The policy triggered violent protests in several states in 2022 and remained a contentious issue during the 2024 general election.

On December 19, 2025, the MHA notified that 50% of vacant constable posts in the Border Security Force (BSF) would be reserved for ex-Agniveers.

The Hindu reported that the Ministry has decided to increase reservation for ex-Agniveers in the Group C posts across all Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) from the existing 10% to 50%.