Agnipath Scheme: Navy, IAF, Army To Recruit 46,000 'Agniveers' This Year. Check Break-Up

The Defence Ministry has unveiled the 'Agnipath' scheme for the recruitment of soldiers in the Army, Navy and the Air Force for a period of four years. Here is how the 'Agniveers' will be recruited.

Around 46,000 soldiers will be recruited this year as part of the government's ambitious Agnipath scheme in a major overhaul of the decades-old selection process. The Navy on Wednesday said it would recruit 3,000 out of the total 46,000 'Agniveers' this year, PTI reported.

Speaking to reporters, Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh, Commander-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command, gave the recruitment numbers for the first year under the Agnipath scheme.

"The scheme is new and we have to adapt ourselves to it. The Navy is going to recruit 3,000 (personnel) in the first year, the Air Force will recruit 3,500, while the Army will recruit 40,000. That's the number for the first year," Singh said.

Singh asserted that the sanctioned strength would not come down. "As the service requirement is there, the number will keep on increasing," Singh said.

He also cleared apprehensions on loss of training period for sailors. "Sailors do a basic training and then go for a specialised training. Whosoever is re-enrolled, has already done four years in the Navy. He/she will get the same technical training. So there will be no loss of training as such (as) what is being perceived," PTI quoted Singh as saying.

What Is The Agnipath Scheme?

To ensure a youthful profile of the armed forces, the Defence Ministry unveiled the 'Agnipath' scheme for the recruitment of soldiers in the Army, Navy and the Air Force for a period of four years. The youths recruited under the scheme will be known as 'Agniveers'. About 25 per cent of the recruits from each batch would be offered regular service upon completion of the four-year tenure.

Age Eligibility: Those between the ages of 17 and a half years and 21 years will be eligible for recruitment under this scheme.

Salary: In the first year of employment, a soldier will get Rs 30,000. The in-hand amount will be Rs 21,000 while the rest Rs 9,000 will go to a corpus and the government will make an equal contribution per month. The monthly salary in the second, third and fourth year will be Rs 33,000, Rs 36,500 and Rs 40,000 respectively.

Other Benefits: Agniveers will be given a non-contributory life insurance cover of Rs 48 lakh. Moreover, each 'Agniveer' will get a one-time 'Seva Nidhi' package of Rs 11.71 lakh upon completion of engagement period of four years. It will be exempted from the income tax. An additional ex-gratia of Rs 44 lakh will be given for death attributable to service.