Berhampur: The passing out parade of second batch of Army Air Defence Agniveers was held at Army Air Defence Centre in Odisha’s Gopalpur on Tuesday.
During the last 31 weeks, these young men were put through 10 weeks of basic military training followed by department specific and equipment-based skill training for 21 weeks. Not only have they been transformed from rustic youth into strong physically tough soldiers, their trade specific professional skills have also been honed to razor sharp perfection-in line with the motto of the AAD College, which proudly reads, “Raw to Razor”, a press release said.
The motivated and professionally confident 1037 Agniveers will now be joining active duty in their respective units deployed across the entire length and breadth of the country.
The traditional ceremony was reviewed by the Commandant, Army Air Defence College (AADC), who is also the Senior Colonel Commandant of the Corps of Army Air Defence. Commandant AAD Centre, the Agniveers instructors and select Civil Dignitaries, Officers from Indian Navy. Indian Coast Guard and parents of passing out Agniveers also witnessed the majestic event.
In his address, the Reviewing Officer, while congratulating the passing out batch for their spectacular drill exhorted them to be loyal soldiers and responsible citizens of the country.
He also presented Medals to nine outstanding performers including the award for the best overall Agniveer which was bagged by Agniveer (Office Assistance) Raman Lal. The parade was followed by felicitation of parents of Agniveers (Presentation of Gaurav Padak).
This historic day marks a new feather in the capability of the overall recruitment process of defence forces and the Agnipath Scheme introduced last year by the government. It was indeed electrifying when the proud young soldiers marched to the hallowed verses of “Sare Jahaan Se Acha, Hindustan Hamara” with motivated spirits to serve the motherland in the finest traditions of the Indian Army.
