Agnipath scheme: Lt Gen KK Repswal asserts recruitment process will remain same as in Army

After the Ministry of Defence announced the "Agnipath Scheme" for the recruitment in defence services, the Indian Army's Chief of Staff Eastern Command, Lieutenant General KK Repswal, stated that the recruitment process for the Agnipath scheme will be the same as it was earlier in the Army and no compromises will be made in educational and physical standards.

Speaking to ANI on the "Agnipath" recruitment scheme, Lt Gen KK Repswal on Wednesday said, "As far as entry is concerned, as per the educational and physical standards, no compromises will be made as after four years, you’ll have trained, disciplined manpower available to the industry. There is an age limit from 17.5 years of age to 21 years with the minimum qualification of 10th class for a soldier General Duty (GD)." Adding further, the Indian army official said that under the new scheme, recruited soldiers will be required to serve for four years, after which, all recruited cadets will be made to make a departure, of which 25% of them will be retained, who can join central organisations like any normal soldier. 

"For the regiment department, we have to retain 25% of the total recruited candidates, who will be picked by the central organization who would be judging them on their performance during the training period of three years in the service... The recruitment will start in the next three months, after which, they will go for a 4-year service with a training of 10 weeks to 6 months. The four-year service in the army will prove to be highly beneficial," Lt Gen Repswal told ANI.

New recruitment scheme for Indian defence services

Agnipath is a pan-India short-term service youth recruitment scheme for the Armed Forces. 'Agniveers' will be employed for four years and rigorous military training will be provided to them. The age eligibility of the scheme is 17.5 to 21 years. The starting annual package will be Rs 4.76 lakh, which could go up to Rs 6.92 lakh by the end of the service. 

Under the scheme, most Indian soldiers will leave the service in just four years. Of the 45,000 to 50,000 recruited annually, up to 25% would be allowed to continue for another 15 years under permanent commission. 'Agniveers' will be paid a one-time 'SevaNidhi' package of Rs 11.71 lakh, which will be exempt from Income Tax.