'Agnipath' scheme will provide good opportunity to NCC cadets, says Director-General

NCC cadets have a good opportunity to become 'Agniveer' for four years and they can follow other professions afterward, said NCC Director General Lt Gen Gurbirpal Singh

File photo of NCC cadets (Photo | EPS/Shriram BN)

NAGPUR: The new 'Agnipath' scheme for recruitment in the armed forces will provide a good opportunity to National Cadet Corps cadets, Director General of the NCC Lt Gen Gurbirpal Singh said here on Wednesday.

He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the passing-out parade of Associate NCC Officers at Kamptee here.

Impact of #Agnipath would be in terms of giving opportunity for Indian Army to get younger, fitter & probably more tech-savvy. Beauty of this scheme is that it's going to be introduced in a very slow manner. In 1st yr we're getting around 40,000 recruits: Vice Chief of Army Staff pic.twitter.com/1mytJHQNTY

— ANI (@ANI) June 15, 2022

To a question about the new recruitment scheme, Lt Gen Singh said 'B' and 'C' certificate holders of the NCC get a special weightage for recruitment in the armed forces.

Under the Agnipath scheme, NCC cadets have a good opportunity to become 'Agniveer' for four years and they can follow other professions afterward, he said.

The main objective of the NCC is to make youths and cadets responsible citizens, and NCC cadets who become Agniveer will become more responsible citizens when going back to civilian life, Singh added.

India on Tuesday unveiled the 'Agnipath' scheme for the recruitment of soldiers into the Army, Navy and Air Force, largely on a short-term contractual basis with an aim to cut the ballooning salary and pension bills and enable a youthful profile of the armed forces.