In another latest initiative by the Central government in the direction of employment, the 'Agnipath' scheme has been introduced today on June 14, 2022. Defence Minister of the country, Rajnath Singh, shed light on the salient points of the scheme. While introducing the scheme, he termed the scheme to be a youthful profile to the armed forces.
Minister Rajnath Singh said, 'Indian youngsters will be provided an opportunity to serve the Indian armed forces under the Agniveer banner'. He continued by saying that the scheme has been roped in keeping in mind the enhancement of National security.
He added that the rollout of this scheme will ramp up the employment opportunities, as the soldiers recruited under this scheme will gain enough expertise and skills for serving other domains.
Features of the Agnipath Scheme:
Through the Agnipath scheme, soldiers, sailors and airmen will be recruited straight to Indian Armed Forces. The title 'Agniveer' will be conferred on all such recruited soldiers under the scheme. Including the training period, the total service duration of an Agniveer will span over 4 years. After the completion of the four-year period, only 25% of the enrolled Agniveers will be retained in the regular cadre. This will purely be based on merit, medical fitness and willingness of the candidate.
If the candidate is retained, he/she shall serve another term, which will be of 15 years duration. Meanwhile, the other 75% Agniveers, who have not been retained, will be provided the 'Seva Nidhi' package, as per which, they will be given an amount of Rs 11-12 lakhs, skill certificates and bank loans, so that they can sail smoothly while pursuing their respective secondary careers.