Agnipath To Be Game Changer Scheme For Armed Forces: Rajnath Singh

Agnipath is a game-changer scheme for the armed forces which is going to act as a force multiplier in making the Indian military one of the best in the world with a youthful, high-tech and ultra-modern outlook, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said. 

He spoke during a virtual address at the MoU Exchange Ceremony's Outreach Programme with the Ministry of Education (MoE) & and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MoSDE) in New Delhi on Tuesday. 

Singh also said that there are paradigm-shifting changes the Agnipath scheme is going to make in transforming the Armed Forces into a tech-savvy, well-equipped and combat-ready unit to face future challenges.

During the event, the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Ministry of Education (MoE), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MoSDE) and all three Services signed MoUs and Agreements with various stakeholders to facilitate continued education of Agniveers while serving in the armed forces, according to the statement. 

Under these MoUs with the National Institute of Open School (NIOS) and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), suitable 12th Class certificates and Bachelor’s degrees will be awarded to the Agniveers respectively, the statement said.

He said that helping ‘Agniveers’ would be a win-win situation for all as they will not only become ‘Surakshaveers’ for the nation by rendering their services in the armed forces but also become ‘Samriddhiveers’ by contributing to the nation's prosperity.

Complimenting the ministry of defence, ministry of home affairs, ministry of railways, state governments and the private sector for extending support to Agniveers in various services, the minister called upon the rest of the ministries, state governments and the corporate sector to come forward with more enthusiasm and provide new opportunities to the Agniveers as far as possible.

The Government launched the Agnipath scheme on 15 June 2022 to recruit male and female aspirants into the ‘below the officer’s rank’ cadre of the three services for four years as Agniveers.  Candidates between the ages of 17.5 to 21 years are eligible to apply for the scheme. These Agniveers would undergo optimised basic military training and specialised trade training followed by up-skilling courses, as required.