Overview
- The Ministry of Home Affairs notified the Sashastra Seema Bal Recruitment Rules, 2026 that took effect on publication in the Official Gazette on July 27 and earmark 50% of Constable (General Duty) vacancies for former Agniveers.
- Eligible ex-Agniveers will be exempt from the written exam and from the Physical Standard Test and Physical Efficiency Test and will receive upper-age relaxation of five years for the first batch and three years for later batches.
- Recruitment will run in two phases with a nodal-force special drive to fill the ex-Agniveer seats first and any unfilled slots moved into the open competitive recruitment so vacancies are not left vacant.
- The SSB rules keep existing caste-based reservations in force for the reserved ex-Agniveer seats and the BSF has issued similar 50% provisions while other central forces have not yet notified matching rules.
- For former Agniveers the change offers a direct route from four years of Agnipath service into a CAPF job and it could reshape recruitment patterns and staffing in other forces as the first Agniveer cohort approaches retirement at the end of 2026.