Parliamentary panel recommends intensification in recruitment of Agniveers

The Agnipath scheme was introduced in June 2022 for short-term induction of personnel with an aim to bring down the age profile of the three services.

New Delhi:A parliamentary standing committee on Wednesday recommended that recruitment of 'Agniveers' into the armed forces be intensified. In June 2022, the government rolled out the Agnipath recruitment scheme for short-term induction of personnel with an aim to bring down the age profile of the three services.

"The committee, through oral evidence of the representatives of the Ministry of Defence, learn that the armed forces are undergoing a phase where there is slight reduction in manpower as a result of COVID," the parliamentary standing committee on defence said. "Further, Agnipath scheme has been introduced in 2022 as recruitment scheme for youth to serve in the armed forces. The roadmap under Agnipath scheme is recruitment of 40,000 soldiers next year; and 45,000 and 50,000 in the subsequent years," it said.

The report was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday. "Based on operational requirements, the defence minister is empowered to increase the number of recruited Agniveers," it said. "The committee, in this regard, recommend that efforts for recruitment of Agniveers in the forces may now be intensified so that combat capabilities of the armed forces on the ground are not negatively affected due to COVID," the report said.

"They also recommend that a pool of Agniveers, apart from the ones absorbed as regular cadre in the forces, may be kept ready to serve the nation in times of any eventuality," it added. The Agnipath scheme provides for recruiting youths between the age bracket of 17-and-half years and 21 for four years with a provision to retain 25 percent of them for 15 more years.