New recruitment policy for forces today; Defence Minister, three service chiefs to brief media shortly

New Delhi, June 14

The government is all set to announce a change in the recruiting policy for the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Navy.

‘AGNIVEER’ SCHEME

Phase 1: 45,000 youths to be recruited in Army, IAF, Navy

Age group: 17.5-21 years

Time period: 4 years

Salary: Rs 30,000 – Rs 40,000

• All of them will be de-mobilised after the four-year period
• A percentage of them will be taken back to serve a full term of another 15 years

A formal announcement is expected today as the Defence Minister and the three service chiefs will brief the media at NMC at 12.30 pm.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, at an unconnected event at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie, called for “breaking the silos” of the civil administration and armed forces to deal with hybrid threats.

“Synergy does not mean infringing upon each other’s autonomy. It means working together while respecting one’s identity, like the colours in a rainbow,” he said.

Meanwhile, the final contours of the new recruitment policy called “Agniveer” would be known after the announcement.

The recruitment of troops in the Army has been suspended for two years.

In the first phase, about 45,000 youths in the 17.5-21 age group will be recruited for four years in the three services. All of them will be de-mobilised after the four-year period and a percentage of them will be taken back to serve a full term of another 15 years. The four years of service would not be factored in while calculating pension at the time of retirement.

At present, the proposal is to retain 25 per cent of de-mobilised troops, but this could change when the policy is announced. For youths who will be de-mobilised after four years, the scheme provides for six months of training to adapt to the world outside the forces. A diploma and a degree is being planned for the recruits, besides skill training when they are released.