Government of West Bengal
Disaster Management & Civil Defence Department
Bikash Bhavan, South Block, 2nd Floor Salt Lake, Kolkata – 700091
No. 1722-DMCD Date: 20.08.2026
NOTIFICATION
Subject: Constitution of “Arjun Vahini” – A State-level Special Disaster Response Squad.
To create a dedicated State-level specialized force capable of immediate deployment within the Golden Hour of any disaster and to strengthen the State’s disaster response capability, a team of 200 Ex-Agniveer personnel to be known as ‘Arjun Vahini’ is hereby constituted whereby 100 such personnel shall be deployed in Kolkata, 50 in Sundarban region and 25 each in the hill districts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong considering their vulnerability to urban disasters, cyclones, floods, landslides etc. and their strategic importance for rapid deployment across the State. The members of such force shall be called “Veer”. They shall be supervised by 8 supervising officer from ex-serviceman who shall be called as ‘Veer Nayak’.
Since, West Bengal is one of the most disaster-prone states in the country and with increasing frequency and severity of disasters, the members of “ARJUN VAHINI” may be deployed in any part of the State of West Bengal as and when required.
This force shall augment the existing disaster response capabilities in the state.
They shall be engaged through the Rajya Sainik Board and their engagement shall be purely contractual in nature. They shall be engaged for a period of one (01) year initially and then may be re-engaged after completion of each year subject to satisfactory performance and physical fitness verification by competent authority up-to the maximum age prescribed below.
The maximum age limit at the time of initial engagement shall be 30 years and 40 years for Ex- Agniveers and Ex-Serviceman in Veer category respectively and 45 Years for Supervising Officer (Ex-Serviceman) in Veer Nayak category.
The age of termination from such engagement shall be on attaining the age of 45 years and 50 years for Veers and Veer Nayaks respectively.
Since the first batch of Agniveers is going to be available from January 2027, Ex-Serviceman along with CDVs/ Agragamis shall be deployed as of now in these teams which shall be replaced by Ex-Agniveers upon selection as and when available. Eight (08) Supervising officers to head these teams shall be selected from retired Junior Commissioned Officers (JCO), from the panel furnished by Rajya Sainik Board. A Selection Committee under the Director of Civil Defence having representatives from NDRF and Rajya Sainik Board shall be constituted to scrutinize the panel and recommend suitable candidates to the Government for their engagement as Veers and Veer Nayaks.
Such force shall function under the Department of Disaster Management & Civil Defence and remain operational throughout the year for disaster preparedness, response, rescue, relief support, and capacity building. These teams shall work under the control and supervision of respective District Magistrate-cum-Controller of Civil Defence for South 24 Parganas and hill districts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong and Controller, Civil Defence for Kolkata.
The composition of the 05 (five) nos. Squads will be as follows:-
| SI. No. | Location/ District | No. of Team | Total Strength | Supervising Officer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kolkata | 01 | 100 | 04 |
| 2. | South 24 Parganas | 02 | 50 | 02 |
| 3. | Darjeeling | 01 | 25 | 01 |
| 4. | Kalimpong | 01 | 25 | 01 |
| Total – | 05 | 200 | 08 | |
Remuneration for such engagement shall be Rs. 25000/- (Rupees twenty-five thousand only) and Rs. 40000/- (Rupees forty thousand only) per month for “Veer” and “Veer Nayak” respectively.
They shall be eligible for an annual enhancement of 3% (three percent) in their remuneration. Such enhancement shall be made applicable from 1st July of every year provided the individual has rendered at least 6 months of satisfactory service from the date of engagement.
These trained disaster professionals may be insured under a group insurance scheme having coverage of Rs 10 lakh in case of death against each individual and Rs 5 lakh in case of permanent disability.
The “Arjun Vahini” shall perform the following functions:
- Rapid deployment during disasters
- Search, rescue and evacuation operations
- Emergency relief support
- Assistance in disaster preparedness and mitigation activities
- Community awareness and capacity building
- Training of other disaster management personnel/volunteers
- Any other disaster management function as may be assigned by the State Government.
The Department of Disaster Management & Civil Defence may issue such operational guidelines, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and instructions time to time as may be necessary for the effective implementation of this Notification.
This notification is issued with the approval of Finance Department vide their UO No Group P2/2026-2027/0260 dated 14/08/2026.
This Notification shall come into force with immediate effect.
Principal Secretary to the Government of West Bengal
Department of Disaster Management and Civil Defence