Agnipath Scheme

The Government of India and the Ministry of defence took a historic initiative on June 14, 2022, by launching the Agnipath scheme. Mr. Rajnath Singh (Defence Minister) flagged the Agnipath scheme and made a revolution in the army recruitment process in India. The Agnipath Scheme is similar to The Tour of Duty Scheme, which is already been adopted by many nations. With the Agnipath scheme, the government of India will be providing an opportunity to the youth to serve in the Indian army for a 4 year period. With the Agneepath scheme, the Government of India aims to develop a young and skilled armed force backed by advanced warfare technology.

What is the Agnipath Scheme?

The Agnipath scheme is a GOI initiative that will help Indian youth to use their knowledge and skills and serve in the Indian army. The main reason behind launching this scheme is to improve the physical strength and the logical ability of the youth. In the initial phase, the Ministry of defense is planning to recruit more than 46,000 Agniveers (recruits who will be serving in the Indian Armed Forces under the Agnipath scheme) within 1 year.

Major Highlights of the Agnipath Scheme

• Defense Minister Rajnath Singh also added in his speech that under this scheme the Agniveers (soldiers) will be recruited for 4 years of service out of which 25% will be retained. 
• All the Agniveers will a get a decent pay of INR 30,000/Month which will go up to INR 40,000/month in the next 4 months. However, out of this 30% of the salary will be deposited in the Agniveer Corpse Fund, and additionally, the central government of India will be depositing another 30% in the same fund. And by the end of the 4th year, the Agniveer will get all that fund along with the interest back in his bank account. 
• The Agnipath scheme will train the youth of India with war tactics with the help of modern technology. And with this scheme, all the three major armed forces of India are planning to reduce the training period to 6 months. Also with the help of AI, the defense forces are going to create a better and more efficient training method for the Agniveers. 

Eligibility Criteria of the Agnipath Scheme:

Like the normal Army recruitment process, the Agniveer scheme also has some specific eligibility criteria:

• The applicant’s age must be between 17.5-23 years.
• He must have obtained a class 10th degree.  
• The candidate needs to pass all the physical strength and medical fitness tests as per the standards of the Indian Armed Forces. 

Benefits under the Agnipath Scheme:

The Agniveers can enjoy several benefits under the Agnipath scheme.

• They will get fixed employment for 3 years term with decent pay along with a 4-year retirement package.
• An opportunity to serve in the Indian Armed Forces.
• A chance to build an extraordinary profile with an experience of 3 years in the Indian Armed Forces. This will help the candidate easily get a new job.
• The Agniveer will get proper training in war and combat skills, and strategy building and will be awarded the rank of a soldier.
• The selected candidates under the Agnipath scheme will also hold a chance to get retained by the Indian Armed Forces and get permanent in the Indian army.
• The Agniveers will also enjoy the exclusive facilities of the Indian Armed Forces, like free medical treatment in the Army hospitals.
• In case any Agniveer gets partially or completely disabled during his service then he will be compensated for the same by the government. Or in case any Agniveer loses his life during his duty then his family will be offered an insurance amount of INR 1 crore. The insurance will be on the government’s end thus the insurance installments are not going to be deducted from the Agniveer’s pay.
• The Agniveers who leave the service after 4 years will be awarded the Agniveer Skill Certificate and some extra credit points. 

Impact of the Agnipath Scheme:

The Agnipath scheme will result in a positive impact on the Indian economy.

• As the defense sector is one of the crucial sectors that drive the economy of a nation. Thus such a great initiative in the defense sector will not only improve the national security but also provide employment opportunities to the netizens.
• Every year a huge sum of money is been spent on the defense sector but after the launch of the Agnipath scheme, this amount will reduce significantly. 
• With the Agnipath scheme, the average age in the armed forces will reduce from 32 years to 26 years.
• Also with this scheme, the recruitment process for the armed forces will get channelized and will save a huge amount as more candidates will be recruited at a time.