Agnipath is a game changer scheme for armed forces: Rajnath Singh
2 min read 03 Jan 2023, 07:58 PM ISTThe job roles/skill sets of Agniveers, while being trained and deployed with the armed forces, have been mapped with National Occupational Standards, in coordination with NSDC and Sector Skill Councils
PremiumNEW DELHI : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that 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.
He was virtually addressing the MoU Exchange Ceremony’s Outreach Programme with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in New Delhi today.
He elaborated on the 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, Ministry of Defence (MoD), Ministry of Education (MoE), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MoSDE) and all the three Services signed/exchanged MoUs/ Agreements with various stakeholders to facilitate continued education of Agniveers while serving in the Armed Forces and award of appropriate skill certificates in accordance with their expertise/experience.
Under these MoUs with National Institute of Open School (NIOS) and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), suitable 12th Class certificates and Bachelor’s degree will be awarded to the Agniveers respectively.
The job roles/skill sets of Agniveers, while being trained and deployed with the Armed Forces, have been mapped with National Occupational Standards (NOS), in coordination with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Sector Skill Councils (SSCs). Based on these qualifications, market-ready and industry-accepted, ‘Kaushal Praman Patra’ will be issued to Agniveers at the time of their exit from the Armed Forces.
To seamlessly facilitate the process, various departments of MoSDE have extensively collaborated in the Armed Forces and awarded Dual Category recognition as the Awarding Body (AB) and Assessment Agency (AA) by the National Council of Vocational Education and Training (NCVET). In addition, Directorate General of Training (DGT) under MoSDE would also facilitate award of National Trade Certificate (NTC) to Agniveers.
Rajnath Singh stated that with the signing of these MoUs, Agniveers will be able to complete their education in a timely manner and develop additional qualities and skills. When Agniveers return to the society after being equipped with all these qualities, they will contribute to nation building, he said.
The minister added 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. They will be beneficial for the whole society contributing to the nation building through their education, skill, discipline and other qualities. In additon to it, they would inspire the youth to become Agniveer, he said.
The Centre had launched Agnipath scheme on June 15, 2022 to recruit both male and female aspirants into ‘below the officer’s rank’ cadre of the three services for a period of four years as Agniveers.
Candidates between the age group 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.
The scheme provides a unique opportunity for transforming the Yuva Shakti into Agniveers and facilitates potential youth to realise their dream of serving the nation through the armed forces.
