NEW DELHI: The Army has been attracting technically qualified youth under the Agnipath recruitment scheme. Officials believe this will help in the Army’s transformation and modernisation.
“The first two batches have witnessed a significant rise in technically qualified individuals -- with 5% holding diplomas or ITI qualifications, and 15% being graduates compared to a minuscule percentage in previous batches,” said a source.
A significant achievement is that the forces have attracted 110 BTech and postgraduate candidates, adding a new dimension of technical expertise to the military organisation, sources said.
The infusion of technically adept individuals aligns with technological demands of modern warfare. These recruits, equipped with advanced technical skills will be pivotal in shaping the future technological initiatives currently underway in the Army, sources said.
The Indian Army is inducting modern weapons and equipment and also is in the process to adopt niche technologies. The physical standards achieved by the Agniveers are at par with previous batches, negating apprehensions. By creating a cohort of Agniveers excelling academically, maintaining physical fitness, and raising the bar for technical qualifications, the scheme is driving the Army’s transformation and modernisation plan.
The impressive achievements of the first two Agniveer batches emphasize that it is propelling the Indian Army closer to its vision of a youthful, technology-savvy force. Between 2022 and 2026, around 1.75 lakh Agniveers are expected to be recruited. One of the positives of the scheme, as per the Ministry of Defence, is that this will make the age profile of the Units youthful.
Under the old system, youth between 16-and-a-half years and 21 years were selected for a minimum of 15 years of service and received a pension for serving this much. Under the new scheme, 100% of the recruits will leave after four years and then around 25% will be taken back from among them under a fresh process and will serve on a permanent basis.