The Indian Army is set to kick off the second phase of recruitment of Agniveers under the Agnipath model in mid-February when online registrations will open for a month, officials familiar with the matter said on Saturday. The army launched the maiden recruitment of Agniveers last year after which around 19,000 Agniveers began their training at various regimental centres in early January, and another 21,000 will report for training in March.
The Agnipath model for short-term induction of soldiers into the three services is a major departure from the military’s decades-old recruitment system that was discontinued when the government announced the new scheme in June 2022. It seeks to recruit soldiers for only four years, with a provision to retain 25% of them in regular service.
The second phase of recruitment will see a change in the recruitment procedure, said one of the officials cited above, asking not to be named. This time the online common entrance exam (CEE) will `be held before the recruitment rallies, he said. In the first phase of recruitment, and even in the legacy system, the written exam was held after the physical tests and medical exams.
“The changed methodology will ensure increased focus on cognitive aspect during selection. It will have wider outreach across the country and also reduce the large crowds seen during recruitment rallies to make them more manageable and easier to conduct,” said a second official. The first CEE will be held in April at 200 locations across the country, he added.
The army announced the new methodology in January along with detailed criteria to rate the performance of its Agniveers, with their assessment to be based on parameters including operational aptitude, weapon proficiency, physical fitness and tests to evaluate other soldierly skills. The performance evaluation will determine who is released after four years and who gets to serve in the regular cadre for an additional 15 years, as previously reported by HT.
On January 16, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the Agnipath scheme as a “transformative policy” that would be a “game changer” in strengthening the military and making it ready for future challenges, while stressing that Agniveers will make the armed forces “more youthful and tech-savvy”. His comments came while he was addressing the first batch of Agniveers of the three services.
India had on June 14, 2022, announced the Agnipath scheme replacing the legacy system to lower the age profile of the armed forces, ensure a fitter military and create a technically skilled war fighting force capable of meeting future challenges.
More than 5.4 million candidates registered for the 46,000 jobs in the three services in the first phase (40,000 in the army and 3,000 each in the Indian Air Force and navy), according to defence ministry data. The Agniveers of IAF and navy are also currently undergoing training.