Agneepath/Agniveer Scheme
The Union Cabinet made history by authorizing an alluring recruitment program for Indian youngsters to join the armed forces, for which a program known as AGNEEPATH has been developed (AGNIPATH). The young people chosen for the Agneepath program will be referred to as Agniveers.
A window of opportunity for young people to serve their country for four years has opened up with the launch of the Agnipath Scheme. The Agnipath Scheme would give young people who want to wear the uniform the chance to do so. The goal of the plan is to draw in young people from the community who are more in tune with current technology developments and to reinvest skilled, disciplined, and motivated employment into society.
What exactly is Agneepath Scheme?
The Indian Armed Forces will enroll chosen applicants as Agniveers for a four-year period as part of the central government’s Agnipath Scheme. 46,000 Agniveers will be recruited by the Armed Forces this year through the Agnipath program. After completing the four-year program, aginveers will enter the workforce as a disciplined, energetic, driven, and productive staff for employment in other sectors to further their careers in the jobs of their choice.
The Agneepath Scheme is a move taken to recruit 46,000+ Agniveers into the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force. For the first 4 years, the admission through the Agneepath Scheme 2022 would be carried out.
Agneepath Scheme Details
Soon, special rallies for recruitment would be held by the armed forces on several campuses. For all three programs, enrollment would take place through a centralized online portal. The same would be done through specialized rallies and campus interviews at reputable technical colleges like Industrial Training Institutes and National Skills Qualifications Framework.
Age Limit: The age range for eligibility will be between 17.5 and 21 years, and enrollment will be based on a “All India All Class” basis.
Academic Qualification: For membership in different categories, Agniveers’ educational requirements will continue to be as popular. For instance, the educational requirement for enrollment into General Duty (GD) soldiers is Class 10.
Other Requirements: The medical requirements for enlistment in the armed forces as they apply to the various categories/trades would need to be met by recruits.
| Category | Education qualification | Age Limit |
| Soldier GD | 10th from a reputed board with 45% marks | 17.5 years to 21 years |
| Soldier Technical | 12th/intermediate in Science with PCM from a reputed board | 17.5 years to 21 years |
| Soldier Clerk/Storekeeper Technical | 12th in any stream (Science, arts, commerce) with minimum 50% aggregate from a reputed board | 17.5 years to 21 years |
| Soldier Nursing Assistant | 12th in PCB with English with minimum 50% marks from a reputed board | 17.5 years to 21 years |
| Soldier Trades Man | 17.5 years to 21 years |
Benefits Under the Agniveer Scheme
Agniveers will receive a tempting monthly package that is specially tailored for them, as well as Risk and Hardship allowances as necessary for the three services. Agniveers will receive a one-time “Seva Nidhi” package at the end of their four-year engagement, which will include both their contribution and any collected interest thereon as well as a matching contribution from the government in the amount shown below:
The “Seva Nidhi” won’t be subject to income tax. Benefits like pensions and gratuities are not admissible. For the term of their employment in the Indian Armed Forces, agniveers would receive non-contributory life insurance coverage worth INR 48 lakhs.
Salary Package and Compensation under Agniveer Scheme
| Year | Monthly Package | In Hand Salary (70%) | Agniveer corpus fund contribution (30%) | Contribution to corpus fund by Gol |
| 1st Year | 30,000 | 21,000 | 9,000 | 9,000 |
| 2nd Year | 33,000 | 23,100 | 9,900 | 9,900 |
| 3rd Year | 36,500 | 25,580 | 10,950 | 10,950 |
| 4th Year | 40,000 | 28,000 | 12,000 | 12,000 |
| Total contribution to Agniveer corpus fund after four years | INR 5.02 Lakhs | INR 5.02 Lakhs |
Post Service engagement of ‘Agniveers’
After serving in the military for four years, agniveers will be recruited by telecom service providers (TSPs) for jobs in customer support, air conditioning maintenance, last mile connection, and fiber to the home.
TSPs concurred that the talent pool of disciplined, trained, and skilled young people that would become accessible as a result of this program may be a benefit to the nation, including the telecom industry. The TSPs would soon respond with suggestions for the precise trades or skill sets they were searching for, it was decided.
The ministry of education will introduce a unique, three-year skill-based bachelor degree program for serving defense personnel in order to improve the future career prospects of our agnives and prepare them for a variety of job roles in the civilian sector. This program will acknowledge the skill training that these individuals received during their time spent in the defense establishments.
As required by Education Policy 2020, the program complies with UGC standards and the National Credit Framework and National Skill Qualification Framework. Additionally, it has provisions for several exit points, including an undergraduate certificate after successfully completing the first year’s courses, an undergraduate diploma after successfully completing the first and second years’ courses, and an undergraduate degree after successfully completing all three years’ worth of courses.
Recruitment into CAPF and Assam Rifles
For recruitment into the CAPFs and Assam Rifles, the union home ministry has decided to give priority to “Agniveers” who have completed four years under this program.
The CAPF and Assam Rifles would reserve 10% of their openings for agnaveers, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The government has announced a 10% reservation for “Agniveers” in the Assam Rifles and central police services, with an upper age relaxation. The Coast Guard, defense civilian positions, 16 defense PSUs, including significant ones like Hindustan Aeronautics and Bharat Electronics, as well as four shipyards and 41 ordnance factories, will all be covered by the 10% quota that the Defense Ministry has proposed.
Additionally, the ministries of defense and home affairs have announced incentives and concessions to help Agniveers find new employment. The PSUs under Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri’s home and petroleum ministries are reportedly working to hire “Agniveers” after their four years of military duty.
Conclusion
The Indian military are expected to become significantly younger and “technologically aware” when Agniveers are produced every four years. Recruiting “fresh talent from society who are more in tune with current technology trends and plowing back skilled, disciplined and motivated manpower into the society” is the goal.
Whether it’s a blunt or a really good move, is still yet to be seen. By saying that, we believe that our country is advancing in every field and that our soldiers gets their due credit. If you want to know more about agniveers and other government schemes, you can follow us on our social media handles.
