Sepoys Will Be ‘Agniveers’ Under ‘Agnipath’, New Armed Forces Recruitment Plan

New Delhi: The three service chiefs on Tuesday announced and revealed the details of a much-debated short-term recruitment policy called ‘Agnipath’ at a press conference in which Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was also present.

Called ‘tour of duty’ in the past, soldiers recruited under the new model will be inducted in the armed forces as ‘Agniveers’, a new distinct rank, as opposed to sepoys who joined the Indian Army under the legacy recruitment model, according to an HT reported on Tuesday.

‘Agniveers’ will form a distinct rank in the three services, and will also wear a distinct insignia as part of their uniform.

Fact file

• ‘Agnipath’ model envisages the recruitment of personnel below officer rank (PBOR) in the army, air force and navy for four years, including six months of training, the officials said.
• Soldiers recruited under ‘Agnipath’ will be released from service after four years.
• There will be a provision for retaining around 25% of them after another round of screening.
• They are likely to be given a severance package of over Rs 11 lakh.
• They will not be entitled to pensions.
• Those retained will serve in the defence services for another 15 years, and will be entitled to pensions.
• Recruits under ‘Agnipath’ will draw a salary of Rs 30,000-40,000 per month.
• They will also get a non-contributory insurance cover of Rs 48 lakh.
• They will get an ‘Agniveer skill certificate’ that will help them find jobs after release from service.