Srinagar: The central government has unveiled the Agnipath recruitment scheme in order to make the armed forces young and strong, Army’s Northern Commander Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi said on Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference at BB cantonment here on Thursday, he said that Agnipath recruitment scheme is meant to be a reformative step and youth oriented. It envisages that the average age profile of the Indian armed forces would come down by 4-5 years by the implementation of this scheme.
It is short term service youth recruitment scheme for Agniveers who will serve the country on terrains, sea, air and deserts, he said, adding that the age range to be eligible for the scheme is 17.5-21 years. Besides, women will be progressively inducted in the armed forces.
Under this scheme, youth will be employed for four years who will get military training and the starting annual package will be 4.76 lakh and it can be later increased to 6.92 lakh, he said.
After undergoing training for four years, all trainees will be provided an opportunity to get permanent jobs and can be appointed on the basis of performance and merit during service, he added.
The training standards would be clearly defined and monitored by the highest authorities in the Armed Forces, the army commander said, adding, this scheme will strengthen India’s security while also providing a youthful profile to the Armed Forces
