BENGALURU: Air Vice Marshal (AVM) G Ananth, Senior Officer-in-Charge Administration, Headquarters Training Command, Indian Air Force, held a press conference in Bengaluru on Thursday to officially remark on the updates to the Agnipath Scheme issued on Wednesday.
Under the new system, 25% of every Agniveer cadre will be recruited after the first four years as before; the remaining 75%, instead of being dismissed to civilian life after the initial period, will be given two more years of optional training, after which, if they choose to, they will be recruited in the armed forces pending an objective review of their overall performance.
“The engagement period will allow the remaining willing agniveers to fulfil their aspirations. Recruitment is standardised and transparent. The performance of the initial batches of Agniveers have been of a high standard,” Ananth said on Thursday.
When asked about the possibility of friction between the two groups of a given batch after the reintegration following the two-year extension, Ananth responded, “There will be no distinction or friction. Within the service, we are one. The remaining 75% have valuable experience which we did not want to lose. In the second phase, it is primarily up to the willingness of the agniveers.”
