West Bengal announces Agniveer job reservations and CAA updates

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has announced a 20 per cent reservation for retired Agniveers in recruitment for the state police, fire brigade, forest department, and civil defence. The initiative seeks to utilize the military training and operational experience of personnel who complete their four-year tenure under the Agnipath scheme. Additionally, the state is establishing ‘Arjun Bahini’, a specialized 200-member disaster management and civil defence force.

Regarding the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), Adhikari stated that hearings for citizenship applications will conclude soon. The state has issued certificates to 23,000 out of 230,000 applicants, with instructions sent to district magistrates to process the remaining 207,000 pending applications.

Furthermore, Governor R. N. Ravi has approved the ‘West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Bill, 2026’. The law allows for the arrest of individuals attacking police and mandates that compensation for damage to public property be recovered at three times the cost, plus interest. Adhikari also addressed allegations from former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee regarding the ‘Annapurna Scheme’, asserting that financial assistance has been transferred to over 14.6 million eligible women without discrimination.