Cementing his spot

Six months into his term, Chief Minister Nayab Saini is busy building on the BJP's historic win in the assembly elections

- PRATUL SHARMA

LAST OCTOBER, the BJP surprised everyone by beating anti-incumbency and winning a historic third term in Haryana. It was not only a lesson in political management, but also an endorsement for the party to push forward its governance model.

With Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini completing six months in office, on April 17, his stamp on governance is visible. This month, Saini announced a significant step. Haryana became the first state to announce 20 per cent reservation in the state police for Agniveers after their stint in the Army. The first batch of Agniveers will complete its tenure in 2026, and the recruits will have to look for jobs again. This has the potential to snowball into a social and political issue country-wide.

As Haryana sends a significant number of youth to the Army, it will have to provide incentives to the Agniveers. “There is also a provision of 10 per cent reservation for Agniveers in the jobs of forest guard, jail warden and mining guard in the forest department,” Saini said.

The state is also offering attractive packages to the industries that could provide employment to Agniveers. The Haryana government plans to create a separate portal for their recruitment. More than 5,000 Haryana youth have been recruited as Agniveers since the inception of the scheme in 2022. If the model is successful, other state governments might feel pressure to replicate it.