UP Govt: The Uttar Pradesh state government will grant 20 per cent reservation to the former Agniveers in the state police and fire department, a government official said on Saturday. The state government had issued an order to this effect on June 6.The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday announced that it will grant 20 per cent reservation to ex-Agniveers in direct recruitment to a number of posts in the state police.The move was decided in a cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Addressing the media after the meeting, UP Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna on Tuesday, stated that the step is taken to give meaning to the post-service lives of Agniveers, who have served their four-year term under the Agnipath scheme.As per the news agency PTI report, "This is a big decision. The reservation will be made on a pan-category basis — General, SC, ST and OBC. If a former Agniveer is in the SC category, the reservation will be granted under SC; if OBC, then under OBC," he clarified.Special age concession of up to three years will also be granted to former Agniveers who are applying for these jobs, he further added.There are four ranks — police constable, PAC constable, mounted police and fireman — for which the recruitment will be conducted. The first batch of recruits under this arrangement will be released in 2026, Khanna added."Some states and central agencies have already made the effort to make reservations available to Agniveers. Haryana and Odisha have already offered 10 per cent reservation for retired Agniveers. The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has now given its nod to 20 per cent horizontal reservation, a commendable and liberal effort," the minister stated.This not only acknowledges their service but makes sure that they keep on contributing to the security infrastructure of the nation even after their military stay, he added. The Centre launched the Agnipath scheme in 2022 for short-term recruitment of staff in the Army, Navy and Air Force with the motive of lowering the age profile of the three services.