The Defence Ministry is all set to hire 46,000 youth annually for four years in the armed forces. They announced the Agniveers Agnipath scheme on 15 June 2020 to post the approval of the Union Cabinet and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The prime aim of the Agneepath Recruitment scheme is to boost youth recruitment in defence forces and increase the involvement of the young blood in security forces. This will not only improve the quality of Indian security but also provide employment.
The recruits that will be hired under this scheme will be known as Agni Veer and will receive heavy pay from the government. They will be recruited for four years and be well-trained to operate in the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Check all the details about the recruitment in the article given below.
Agniveers Agnipath Scheme
On 14 June 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the direct recruitment of 10,000,00 people under mission mode. This recruitment is supposed to continue over the next 1.5 years. Later, on 15 June, the defence ministry announced the Agni Vir Agneepath scheme. The scheme offers employment as well. However, the recruits under the scheme would only be employed by the government for four years.
The recruitment will be made in the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Heavy pay will be provided to them. Moreover, those performing exceedingly well in the jobs will be further provided extensions. A total of 46,000 posts will be released every year. Young people will be employed in this scheme.
Agneepath Recruitment Scheme: Highlights
| Name of the Scheme | Agnipath Agniveer Scheme |
| Announced By | Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, and Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar |
| Approved By | Union Cabinet and Prime Minister Narendra Modi |
| Aim | To be Provide employment to youth Increase involvement of Youth in Security Forces |
| Number of Vacancies | 46,000 |
| Announced For | Youth in the Country |
| Departments | Army, Navy, and Air Force |
| Ministry | Defence Ministry of India |
Aim of the Agnipath Recruitment Scheme
The prime aim of releasing the scheme is to boost youth employment in the nation. Additionally, young people should be more involved in the Indian security forces; thus, this scheme will pave a great way to do that. As per the Defence Ministry’s announcement, 46,000 youth will be recruited.
The recruitment will continue for four years. This scheme is not a one-time programme. Every year, nearly the same number of vacancies will be announced, and aspirants will be hired similarly for the same job and with the same remuneration.
Tenure and Pay Scale for Agniveers
Since the youth will be employed in the Army, Navy, and Air Force for only four years, they will receive heavy pay. Due recruits will receive a monthly salary, including allowances for risks and hardships. A pay of Rs.30,000 to Rs.40,000 has been announced under this scheme. The first-year salary package has been announced as Rs.4.76 lakh. An up-gradation of up to Rs.6.92 lakhs in the fourth year will be provided to the candidates. Additionally, those recruited as Agni Vir will receive a non-contributory insurance cover of Rs.48 lakhs over four years.
Once the period of employment is over, the recruits will receive an amount of Rs. 11.71 lakhs along with interest. This payment will only be made once and only to those candidates who will not be placed on permanent commission. The amount will be tax-free, and the youth can use it as per their desire.
Age Limit and Eligibility Criteria for the Agnipath Scheme
The enrolment of candidates will be made based on All India All Class. Thus, only Indian Nationals will be able to apply for the scheme. The authorities have announced a minimum age of 17.5 years. The authorities have also announced the upper age limit of 21 years. The upper age limit was later extended to 23 years for the present year upon observing the nationwide protests and backlash.
Those who do not fit the announced age limit criteria will not be recruited under the Agneepath scheme. Additionally, there is no reservation for women in the scheme. However, they are also not limited to not applying for the scheme. Women who satisfy the age and eligibility criteria can apply for the Agneepath scheme.
Educational Qualification of Agniveers
The educational qualification of those seeking recruitment under the Agneepath scheme will vary depending upon the category they are applying for. The separate notifications for each agniveer recruitment programme will be available from time to time on the respective recruitment portals of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.
Improvement in the Defence Budget of India with the Agnipath Scheme
The three services chiefs of the Army, Air Staff, and Naval staff revealed more details regarding the recruitment scheme in a press conference along with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. They announced that Agneepath would provide better opportunities for the youth to get recruited into defence forces and help the government save a substantial amount of finances, which they shall further use for military modernisation.
The pension bill of the armed forces will be cut down by 50%, and the youth will not have to join the army for a very long time under the scheme. It will help the government save a decent amount that was being utilised for salaries and pension bills. Furthermore, 25% of the Agniveers would be retained for a further tenure of 15 years on the permanent commission. The rest will receive a Seva Nidhi. This will not only benefit the youth but also the government.
Important Links
| For More Details, Check Out | Indian Army Recruitment Portal Indian Navy Recruitment Portal Indian Air Force Recruitment Portal |
| For the Latest Updates, Refer To | NVSHQ Homepage |
