Over 250 ex-Navy Agniveers join Maharashtra Coastal Police with no fresh exam

More than 250 former Agniveers of the Indian Navy have been taken into the Maharashtra Coastal Police, and none of them had to sit a new recruitment test. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the development in Nagpur on Friday.

The appointments come under a state government initiative meant to find employment for young people who have finished the four-year term of service that the Agniveer scheme provides. The Navy men are the first group to be absorbed into the Coastal Police under this policy, which is part of a wider plan to place former Agniveers in the Maharashtra Police and in the other security forces run by the state.

Those who have served out their fixed term in the armed forces and wish to continue in uniform as policemen are being considered under the plan. Officials say the aim is to help them move into civilian government service while making use of what they learnt in the forces.

The new recruits will be posted to strengthen security along the state's coastline. Their military training and field experience are expected to be of particular help in maritime surveillance and in other security work at sea and on the shore.

Mr Fadnavis explained why a fresh test was thought unnecessary. In his account, these men had already passed a demanding selection process and received intensive training during their time in the military. That experience and the skills gained from it were weighed when deciding whether they were eligible for direct entry into the police. He added that the particular needs of coastal policing had been kept in view while the scheme was designed, and that people from a Navy background are well acquainted with maritime operations and security procedures, which makes them a good fit for this force.

To make the appointments possible, the existing recruitment rules were amended. The change allows former Agniveers to be inducted directly, without writing another examination and without going through a training programme again.

The Chief Minister said the selection standards followed by the armed forces were taken into account when the revised rules were framed. Since the candidates had already cleared rigorous military assessments and served in the forces, no additional screening was considered necessary. Appointment orders were subsequently issued to the selected candidates.

The recruitment follows through on an announcement Mr Fadnavis made last month, when he spoke of taking former Agniveers into the Maharashtra Police and the state's other forces. It was said then that eligible personnel who complete four years of service would be offered opportunities without new examinations or training. The latest appointments are the first time that promise has been put into practice for former Navy personnel joining the Coastal Police.