A “historic” and “transformative” Agnipath recruitment program for the nation’s young was unveiled by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday. Speaking to the media alongside the heads of the three services—the Army Chief General Manoj Pande, the Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, and the Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar—Singh claimed that the program will provide Indian youngsters a chance to enlist in the army.
“Under the Agnipath scheme, Indian youngsters will be provided opportunity to serve in armed forces as ‘Agniveer’. The Agnipath scheme has been brought to strengthen India’s security,” Singh said during the conference.
“The Cabinet Committee on Security has taken a historic decision today to approve the transformative scheme of ‘Agnipath’. Under this, Indian youth would be granted an opportunity to get inducted into the Armed services,” Rajnath Singh said during the announcement.
The Agnipath approach is based on an all-India merit-based selection procedure, according to Lt Gen Anil Puri, Additional Secretary, Department of Military Affairs, who provided more details about the program. “We are looking at the best to serve the armed forces between the ages of 17.5 to 21 years. Once selected, the Agniveers will serve for four years with us,” Puri added.
Agnipath scheme In Brief
According to the plan, “Agniveers” will receive a one-time “SevaNidhi” gift that is tax-free after their four-year engagement period is up. According to the Ministry of Defence, those who were chosen to join the armed forces as regular cadre would have to commit to a minimum additional commitment time of 15 years.
According to Singh, the “Agnipath” programme is making an effort to give the armed forces a more youthful appearance. They could be prepared for new technologies and have better health as a result. This program will broaden the range of industries where people with new abilities can find work.
Army, Navy, and IAF support the Agnipath plan
The Agnipath program would aid in ensuring an ideal balance between youth and experience in the Army, according to Army Chief General Manoj Pande. The Army will keep the finest of the best for a longer service period if screening and selection are based on a sound, fair, transparent, and comprehensive evaluation system, and these individuals will constitute the foundation of our organization.
Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari explained the IAF’s role in integrating the “Agniveers” and preparing them for combat by saying that the IAF will provide “Agniveers” with a wide variety of training and exposure in aircraft, weapons, and sophisticated ground systems. “I invite the aspiring youth of India to seize this unique opportunity to serve the nation & touch the sky with glory,” he said.
The Agnipath program, according to Chaudhari, enables the IAF to evaluate young people’s aptitude and attitude in their capacity as “Agniveers” and prepares them for additional specialized training in the aviation and non-aviation skills required by the IAF, should they decide to enlist as regular air warriors.
According to Chaudhari, the Agnipath programme enables the IAF to evaluate young people’s aptitude and attitude in their capacity as “Agniveers” and equips them with the specialised training in aviation and non-aviation skills that the IAF requires, should they decide to enlist as regular air warriors.
The initiative is a novel idea for the new era, according to Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar, who welcomed it. “An idea that is made in India and made for India. An idea that will have positive impact on the human resources management of armed forces,” he added.
Agniveers, according to Kumar, will continuously and steadily inject the Navy with youthful vitality, passion, and modern skills.
