Assam Rifles Technical and Tradesman Rally 2026: 354 Posts, Trade-Wise Eligibility, Age, Salary & How to Apply

1. What Is the Assam Rifles Technical and Tradesman Rally 2026?

The Assam Rifles Technical and Tradesman Recruitment Rally 2026 is a male-only recruitment drive by the Directorate General Assam Rifles (DGAR), Shillong for 354 Group C posts across 17 trades. Recruitment is at three entry ranks: Rifleman, Havildar and Warrant Officer. Online applications run from 15 November 2026 to 14 December 2026 (23:59 hrs) on assamrifles.gov.in. The rally is tentatively scheduled to begin on 18 January 2027.

The vacancies were advertised under Memo No. I.12016/A Branch (Rect Cell)/2026/1892, dated 03 November 2026, and published in Employment News (14–20 November 2026). The physical tests are RFID-based and will be held at Jorhat or Diphu in Assam. Candidates who clear them then take a 100-mark Computer Based Test, a trade skill test, document verification and a detailed medical examination. Vacancies are reserved category-wise on an all-India basis, and there is no state-wise quota.

This rally differs from Assam Rifles' General Duty recruitment in one important way: your certificate decides your trade. A Class 10 pass, an ITI certificate in a particular trade, a diploma and a 12th-plus-technical qualification each open a different set of posts. This guide therefore goes beyond the headline numbers. It maps every ITI or diploma to the post it qualifies you for, gives exact date-of-birth windows, and shows category-wise seat counts so you can judge your competition. It also explains what the re-notification means for anyone who applied under the earlier August 2026 notice.

2. What Changed From the August 2026 Notice?

The 03 November 2026 memo (No. …/2026/1892) replaces an earlier version of the same rally, Memo No. …/2026/1310. That earlier memo had an application window of 28 September to 28 October 2026 and a rally date of 23 November 2026. Many job portals, and the AI answers built from them, still show the old 28 October deadline. That date has passed and no longer applies.

Do August applicants need to apply again? The current memo does not say that applications made under the earlier memo carry forward. It sets its own server opening date (15 November 2026) and its own closing date. One job portal reports that the earlier memo was cancelled on 30 October 2026 and that candidates were told to apply afresh. We have not seen an official Assam Rifles cancellation notice, so we cannot confirm that report. In practice, the safe course is to submit a fresh application in the new window and keep your old fee receipt. If you paid ₹100 under the old memo, ask the DGAR recruitment helpline whether it can be adjusted. The new memo itself says fees are non-refundable and cannot be adjusted against other expenses.

3. About Assam Rifles

Assam Rifles is India's oldest paramilitary force. It was raised in 1835 as the Cachar Levy and is headquartered at Shillong, Meghalaya. It guards the Indo-Myanmar border and carries out counter-insurgency duties in the North-East. It is often called the "Sentinels of the North East". Administrative control rests with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), while the Indian Army exercises operational control. This dual arrangement is why Assam Rifles recruitment follows MHA's uniform medical guidelines for CAPFs while using Army-style rank titles such as Rifleman and Warrant Officer.

4. Important Dates

The online application window for the Assam Rifles Technical and Tradesman Rally 2026 is open for 30 days, from 15 November 2026 to 14 December 2026 at 23:59 hrs. Age is counted as on 01 July 2026. The PST/PET reporting date for each candidate will be announced later on assamrifles.gov.in after applications close.

5. Trade-Wise and Category-Wise Vacancy Details

The rally has 354 vacancies in total: 219 Rifleman posts across 12 trades, 129 Warrant Officer posts across 4 trades, and 6 Havildar posts in a single trade. One trade dominates. Warrant Officer (Cipher) alone has 124 posts, about 35% of the whole rally. At the other end, Warrant Officer (Operation Theatre Technician) has just one post.

Which Trades Have Zero Reserved Seats?

Several small trades have no seat at all for one or more reserved categories. That changes your strategy if you hold a qualification only for those trades:

A reserved-category candidate in one of these trades is not shut out. Under central government reservation rules, Unreserved (UR) seats are open to everyone on merit. In a trade like Welder, though, that means competing for a single open seat. The vacancy figures are tentative and may rise or fall before final selection.

6. Educational Qualification for Each of the 17 Trades

Eligibility depends on the trade. Every post is open only to male Indian citizens, and each trade needs a specific combination of school pass, ITI trade, diploma or degree. The 354 seats fall into three qualification tiers: 106 seats need only Class 10, 113 seats need Class 10 plus an ITI or diploma, and 135 seats need Class 12 plus a technical qualification.

Complete Trade-to-Qualification Matrix

Four Qualification Traps That Catch Applicants

1. Electrician Mechanic Vehicle needs a Motor Mechanic ITI, not an Electrician ITI. A candidate with an Electrician ITI should look at Lineman Field instead, where Electrician is exactly the trade required.

2. Electrical Fitter Signal needs no ITI at all. The 32 seats are open to any 10th pass who studied Science, Mathematics and English. This is one of the largest seat pools available without technical training.

3. "Warrant Officer" does not automatically mean an age limit of 25. Only three trades allow up to 25 years: Cipher, Draughtsman and Recovery Vehicle Mechanic (a Rifleman post). Warrant Officer OT Technician and Warrant Officer Physiotherapist are capped at 23.

4. The Cipher ITI must be a two-year course. The memo specifies a two-year ITI in Radio and Television or Electronics. A one-year certificate course does not appear to meet the condition; degree holders should apply through the Bachelor's route instead.

7. Age Limit, Date-of-Birth Windows and Relaxation

The age limit is 18 to 23 years for 14 trades and 18 to 25 years for 3 trades (Cipher, Draughtsman and Recovery Vehicle Mechanic), counted as on 01 July 2026. Only the date of birth printed on your Matriculation (Class 10) certificate is accepted, and later requests to change it will not be considered.

Date-of-Birth Windows for General (UR/EWS) Candidates

These dates are our calculation from the 01 July 2026 cut-off, since the memo states ages rather than birth dates. Check them against any date-of-birth bands shown on the official application portal.

Category-Wise Age Relaxation

Worked example for Ex-Servicemen: A UR ex-serviceman aged 31 on 01 July 2026 who served 7 years has an effective age of 24 (31 − 7). For an 18–23 trade, his limit is 23 + 3 = 26, so he is eligible. The same man applying with only 4 years of service would have an effective age of 27 and would be ineligible.

The memo grants relaxation only to the categories above. EWS candidates get no age relaxation, and Departmental (serving Assam Rifles) candidates may claim relaxation only in the 15 trades listed for them (see Section 15).

8. Salary and Pay Level by Rank

The memo says only that pay and allowances will be as applicable to Assam Rifles personnel; it does not print pay levels. In earlier Assam Rifles notices, Rifleman posts were in Pay Level 3 (₹21,700–₹69,100), Havildar in Level 4 (₹25,500–₹81,100) and Warrant Officer in Level 5 (₹29,200–₹92,300) of the 7th CPC pay matrix. We expect the same levels to apply.

Basic Pay Plus Dearness Allowance at the Current 63% Rate

Dearness Allowance for central government employees is 63% of basic pay from 01 July 2026, following the Union Cabinet's approval on 28 October 2026. Here is what that means at each entry level:

These figures exclude House Rent Allowance, Transport Allowance and the risk, hardship and ration-money allowances paid to Assam Rifles personnel, all of which depend on where you are posted. Many North-East postings are in field areas with government accommodation, in which case HRA is not paid. Treat the Basic + DA column as a dependable floor, not a final in-hand figure.

9. Application Fee and Payment Method

The application fee is ₹100 for UR, OBC and EWS candidates. SC, ST and Ex-Servicemen candidates pay nothing. The fee is non-refundable and cannot be adjusted against any other payment. It is paid into a designated State Bank of India account, either online or in cash at an SBI counter.

Bank Account Details for Fee Deposit

10. Selection Process: Six Stages From Rally to Training

Selection runs in six stages: initial document check, RFID-based Physical Standard Test (PST) and Physical Efficiency Test (PET), a 100-mark Computer Based Test (CBT), a trade skill test, document verification with a Detailed Medical Examination (DME), and a final trade-wise, category-wise merit list. Only the CBT is scored. Every other stage is pass/fail.

How Many Candidates Reach Medical? The 1:4 Ratio in Numbers

Because candidates are shortlisted for DV and DME at roughly four per vacancy, the size of each trade decides how many people get through to the final stage:

The ratio is applied within each category, not just each trade. In Cipher UR (51 seats), roughly 204 candidates reach the medical stage; in Cipher ST (9 seats), roughly 36 do.

11. Computer Based Test (CBT) Pattern and Pass Marks

The CBT is a 100-mark computer test taken after the physical tests. The minimum pass mark is 35% for General and EWS candidates and 33% for SC, ST and OBC candidates. The memo does not give the subjects, question count, duration or negative marking, so treat any portal that lists them as an estimate until Assam Rifles publishes the scheme.

The pass mark only keeps you in the race. Since the CBT is the only scored stage, a candidate who scores 40 in a trade where the shortlist cut-off settles at 60 will not reach the medical. Aim well above the minimum.

12. Physical Standards (PST) and Physical Efficiency Test (PET)

The minimum height is 170 cm for most male candidates, 165 cm for listed hill and North-Eastern communities and regions, and 162.5 cm for Scheduled Tribes. The PET is a 5 km run in 24 minutes, or 1.6 km in 7 minutes for candidates from the Ladakh region. All 17 trades follow the same standards.

Physical Standard Test (PST): Height and Chest

In every tier, the chest must expand by at least 5 cm. Candidates claiming a regional or community relaxation must produce a certificate from the competent authority at the PST. ST candidates must produce their ST certificate.

Physical Efficiency Test (PET): Running

The Ladakh standard is shorter but faster per kilometre than the national 5 km standard. Ladakh candidates should train for speed over 1.6 km rather than assume the shorter distance makes it easier. For everyone else, 24 minutes for 5 km means keeping a steady pace under 4:48 per km. Candidates who start fast and fade in the last two kilometres are the ones who usually miss it.

13. How to Apply Online

Apply only online through the "ONLINE APPLICATION" option on assamrifles.gov.in, between 15 November 2026 and 14 December 2026 (23:59 hrs). Each candidate may submit one application, and no corrections are allowed after submission.

14. Medical Examination (DME and RME)

Medical fitness is assessed through a Detailed Medical Examination (DME) under MHA's uniform guidelines for CAPF and Assam Rifles recruitment. A Review Medical Examination (RME) is held straight after for candidates declared unfit. The governing documents are MHA UO No. A.VI-1/2014-Rectt(SSB) dated 20 May 2015 and MHA OM No. E.32012/ADG(Med)/DME&RME/DA-1/2020 (Part File)/1166 dated 31 May 2021, as amended from time to time.

Under these guidelines, examiners commonly check eyesight, hearing, dental condition, flat foot, knock knee, varicose veins and weight for height. Weight must be proportionate to height and age. Persons with disabilities are not eligible for this rally. The memo also says Assam Rifles is not liable for injuries, illness or medical emergencies during any test, so candidates take part at their own risk.

15. Rules for Departmental Candidates and Ex-Servicemen

Ten percent of vacancies in all 17 trades are reserved for Ex-Servicemen (ESM). Serving Assam Rifles personnel (departmental candidates) may apply in 15 of the 17 trades, but they need a No Objection Certificate (NOC). Ex-Servicemen seats that cannot be filled go to non-ESM candidates of the same category.

Ex-Servicemen Rules

• About 10% of the 354 vacancies (roughly 35 seats) are earmarked for ESM, spread across all 17 trades.
• Veterans of the Army, Navy and Air Force all count as Ex-Servicemen.
• ESM candidates pay no application fee.
• Age relaxation is 3, 6 or 8 years (UR, OBC, SC/ST) after deducting military service from actual age.

Departmental Candidate Rules

16. Service Conditions, Disqualifications and Common Mistakes

Selected candidates serve a two-year probation. A recruit who leaves training or resigns early must repay either the full cost of training or three months' pay and allowances. Several conditions in the memo can disqualify a candidate permanently, so read them before applying.

Service Conditions You Accept by Applying

• Probation: 2 years from enrolment.
• Training cost recovery: Withdrawing from the course or resigning early means repaying the full cost of training or three months' pay and allowances.
• No TA/DA: You pay your own travel, boarding and lodging for every stage of the rally.
• Legal jurisdiction: Any dispute can be heard only by courts with jurisdiction over the place where selection physically takes place.
• Indemnity: You take part voluntarily; Assam Rifles is not liable for injury or illness during the tests.
• Compassionate appointment: The compassionate ground scheme does not apply to this rally.
• Vacancies: Numbers are tentative, and the competent authority may change or cancel the advertisement.

Common Mistakes That Lead to Rejection

Documents to Carry to the Rally

• Printed copy of the submitted online application form
• Copy of the notification downloaded from assamrifles.gov.in
• Original fee challan or receipt (UR/OBC/EWS)
• Class 10 certificate and all educational, ITI or diploma certificates
• Domicile or Permanent Resident Certificate
• SC/ST/OBC certificate in the prescribed format, or EWS certificate for FY 2025-26
• Community or region certificate for a height/chest relaxation claim
• Discharge book or certificate (Ex-Servicemen) and NOC (Departmental candidates)

17. Frequently Asked Questions

Below are the most commonly asked questions about this recruitment. If your question is not answered here, refer to the official notification or the Assam Rifles recruitment website.

18. Important Links

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)