The first batch of Agniveers is scheduled to be released from the Armed Forces in November after completion of the four-year term, but the Punjab Government is yet to announce a policy for the rehabilitation and reemployment of these soldiers belonging to the state.Earlier this year, a policy was drafted by the Department of Personnel in association with the Department of Defence Services Welfare, proposing 20 per cent reservation in the posts of jail warders and 10 per cent each for police constables, Home Guards instructors, firemen and forest guards.“The draft policy was sent to the Chief Secretary for concurrence and was thereafter to be placed before the Cabinet for approval, but it has yet to be placed before the state’s political leadership,” an official said. Till the evening of October 30, there was no further information on the status of the draft.Government sources said that in September, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had written to all state governments conveying that the first batch of Agniveers are scheduled to be discharged from the Navy in November 2026, followed by release from the Air Force in December 2026 and from the Army in January 2027.The MHA had then requested all state governments to complete all the appointment-related formalities regarding their reemployment so that provisional offers of appointment through the career progression portal could be issued to the first batch of Navy Agniveers by October 21.According to sources, the first batch comprises approximately 4,000 Agniveers belonging to Punjab across all three services. “While some would be absorbed into the Central Armed Police Forces and vacancies created in other departments by the central government, the re-employment prospects of the remaining soldiers remain uncertain,” an official said. “This could also have ramifications for recruitment of Agniveers from Punjab and was witnessed in some specific regiments when the Agnipath scheme was introduced,” he added.While Punjab is still in the process of finalising its rehabilitation policy for Agniveers, several other states have already announced such measures. In Punjab’s vicinity, Haryana and Chandigarh have provided up to 20 per cent horizontal reservation in direct recruitment for uniformed state organisations, including the police, forest guards, mining guards and jail warders.Various Central Government ministries have created quotas for Agniveers in the Central Armed Police Forces and other establishments, besides introducing skill development programmes and qualification certification.Under the Agnipath scheme, implemented in 2022, Agniveers are recruited for a four-year period, including basic training. Out of these, 25 per cent are absorbed into the permanent cadre, while the rest are released from service. The Indian Air Force initiated training of the first batch on December 30, 2022, followed by the Indian Army and Navy in January 2023.Punjab is the second-largest contributor of recruits to the armed forces after Uttar Pradesh, and recruitment from the state often exceeds its prescribed quota. Vacancies allotted to other states that remain unfilled are frequently taken up by candidates from Punjab.Speaking at the Defence Skills Conclave organised by the Punjab Government in Chandigarh recently, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said Punjab, with its strong military tradition, could take the lead in harnessing the skills of Agniveers by offering institutional pathways into the defence manufacturing ecosystem as supervisors, equipment maintainers and entrepreneurs.