Agniveers will be given direct deployment in the Tiger Protection Force to be formed in the state. 81 posts are proposed in this force. All these posts will be given to Agniveers only. Announcing this on International Tiger Day, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that this will not only strengthen the efforts of tiger conservation but also provide employment opportunities to trained youth who have completed their service as Agniveers. This is an important step of the government to employ Agniveers. Along with this, the government is also making a policy to give them 10 percent horizontal reservation in government services.
Illegal hunting will be banned
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the establishment of this force will help in achieving the goal of tiger conservation and will stop illegal hunting. Trained soldiers like Agniveers in the force will patrol forest areas, collect intelligence and take strict action against poachers. Apart from controlling wildlife crimes, this force will also control other crimes related to forest and wildlife such as timber smuggling, illegal mining and encroachment. The Chief Minister said that conservation of the natural habitat of tigers is also important. This force will help in preventing illegal felling of forests and activities that harm their habitat and will also assist in managing human-wildlife conflict. The Chief Minister said that many times tigers come to populated areas, leading to human-wildlife conflict. This force will be trained to handle such situations so that both sides do not suffer. This force will be equipped with modern surveillance techniques such as drones, thermal imaging and GPS tracking. This will also increase their efficiency.
With the recruitment of Agniveers, the local community will also be involved in conservation efforts, which will create a positive atmosphere. He said that if this model is successful, it can also be adopted in other tiger reserves and protected areas of the country. This will also promote tiger conservation at the national level.
