Image Credit: Hindustan Times.
The government on Tuesday launched the ‘Agnipath’ recruitment scheme for the armed forces. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) and Union Cabinet approved the proposal on the ‘Agnipath’ scheme for armed forces in the day.
In a step that promises fundamental changes in recruitment for the Indian Armed Forces, the Agneepath scheme opens prospects for youth. This assures the addition of 46,000 soldiers to the Indian Army, Indian Navy and India Air Force. The scheme was announced in the media on Tuesday, 14th June 2022, briefing shortly after the cabinet committee approved the same.
“The Agnipath recruitment scheme is a transformative step towards providing a youthful profile to the armed forces,” Singh said. After lengthy discussions with the armed forces, the step has been accepted and assures an archetype shift.
Addressing the press conference, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the scheme would give a better opportunity to the youth to serve the nation. The government also expects to save substantial money through the scheme, which will be used for military modernization. The project will cut down the ballooning pension bill of the armed forces as 50% of the defense budget is being used on salary and pension bills. Under the scheme, the youth will not require to join armed forces for the long term.
Lt Gen Anil Puri, Additional Secretary, Department of Military Affairs, said, “Nowadays, the average age is around 32 years. In time to come, it will further come down to 26 years. This will happen in six-seven years. To transform armed forces into young, tech-savvy, modern, there’s a demand for harnessing the youth potential and make them a future-ready soldier”.
But what is the scheme?
AGNIPATH Scheme: What all you need to know!
To be explained, Agneepath or agneepat is a recruitment scheme for the Indian youth who wish to join the Armed Forces. The entry would be done for 4 years initially. In a time period of four years, the recruits would be trained by the armed forces in all the skills required. The recruits hired under this scheme would be called as Agniveers.
Around 46000 soldiers would be recruited to the armed services every year. Of these, about 25% would be kept for an additional tenure of 15 years for permanent commission. The others would be permitted to leave and given a Seva Nidhi – a corpus of a one-time amount of Rs. 11.71 lakh plus interest. This amount would be tax-free and can be used by the individual to further their dreams.
Enrolment will be done through a centralised online system for all three military forces. Candidates must meet the medical eligibility requirements to enrol.
This scheme will increase employment opportunities with new skills in different sectors.