Top military brass of the country including the three services chiefs briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the new ‘Agnipath’ recruitment scheme for induction of soldiers in the three defence services.
The scheme is likely to be approved by Union Cabinet in the coming week as the defence forces have already started making preparations for its rollout.

• Agnipath recruitment scheme has been planned and prepared by the Department of Military Affairs presently led by Additional Secretary Lt Gen Anil Puri. 
• As per the initial plans, after the initial training of around six months, around 20-25 per cent of recruited youth known as ‘Agniveers’ would be given longer tenures while others would be released with a severance package which would be around Rs 10-12 lakh, they said.
• If the project moves as per plan, the recruitment process for the first batch of Agniveers may start in the next three to four months, the sources said.
• The forces will also have the option of recruiting specialists for specific tasks who would perform the desired role.
• During the Covid-19 pandemic, the recruitment of soldiers in the armed forces has been halted.
• As per the plans, the soldiers relieved from the service would be provided assistance in getting placed in civilian jobs.
• A number of corporates have shown interest in availing services of such ‘Agniveers’ as they would be benefitted from hiring such trained military-trained disciplined manpower.

By: Brijesh Kumar