New Delhi: Amid protests in several parts of the country, the Army on Monday issued a notification for the induction of soldiers under the Agnipath military recruitment scheme under which the online registration of applicants will begin next month.
In its notification, the Army said the online registration for the force’s recruitment can be done on “www.joinindianarmy.nic.in” and “www.joinindianarmy.nic.in” and was mandatory for all the job aspirants under the new model.
The Army said ‘Agniveers’ would form a distinct rank in the Indian Army, which would be different from any other existing ranks.
It said the ‘Agniveers’ will be barred from disclosing classified information gained during the four-year service period to any unauthorised person or source under the Official Secrets Act, 1923.
“Personnel enrolled through Agniveer scheme, will be required to undergo periodical medical check-ups and physical/written/field tests as governed by orders issued. The performance so demonstrated would be considered for subsequent offer for enrolment in the regular cadre,” the Army said.
It said that based on organisational requirements and policies promulgated, ‘Agniveers’ after completing their engagement period in each batch will be offered an opportunity to apply for enrolment in the regular cadre.
“These applications will be considered in a centralised manner by the Army based on an objective criteria including performance during their engagement period and not more than 25 percent of each specific batch of ‘Agniveers’ will be enrolled in the regular cadre,” the Army said in the notification.
The notification said, for general duty, class 10 pass with 45 percent marks in aggregate and 33 percent in each subject are mandatory for the applicants.
For the technical cadre of ‘Agniveers’ including for the Aviation wing, the aspirants will need to clear class 12 with Physics, Chemistry, Maths and English with 50 percent marks in aggregate and 40 percent in each subject.
For those applying for positions of clerk or storekeeper (Technical), Class 12 in any stream is required with 60 percent marks in aggregate and 50 percent in each subject.
For this cadre, 50 percent marks in English and Maths/Accounts/Book-Keeping are mandatory.
The Army has kept two categories for ‘Agniveer’ under tradesmen heading — one for those having cleared 10th class and another for 8th pass ones.
In both categories, there is no stipulation for aggregate marks but the candidates need to have 33 percent marks in each subject, the notification said.
According to the notification, bonus marks of 20 would be given in the Common Entrance Examination to some categories of the applicants such as sons of a serviceman (SOS), son of ex-serviceman (SOEX), son of war widow (SOWW), son of a widow of ex-serviceman (SOW).
Similarly, NCC ‘A’ and ‘B’ certificate holders would also get some marks.
The Army said the release of an ‘Agniveer’ at their (own) request prior to completion of terms of engagement is not permitted.
“However, in most exceptional cases, personnel enrolled under this scheme may be released, if sanctioned by the competent authority,” it said.
The Agnipath scheme, announced on June 14, provides for the recruitment of youths between the age bracket of 17-and-half years to 21 for only four years with a provision to retain 25 percent of them for 15 more years.
The government has extended the upper age limit to 23 years for recruitment in 2022.
The Army said the recruits will be subjected to the provisions of the Army Act, 1950.
The Army said the ‘Agniveers’ would not have any right to be selected after completion of their four-year tenure.
As part of the enrolment process, each ‘Agniveer’ will be required to formally accept all terms and conditions of the ‘Agnipath’ scheme.
For personnel below the age of 18 years, the enrolment form will be required to be signed by the parents or guardians, according to the document.
The ‘Agniveers’ will be eligible for 30 days leave in a year as against 90 days for those in regular service. Medical leave will be granted based on medical advice.
Several detained during protests against ‘Agnipath’ in Jammu city
Protests against ‘Agnipath’ rocked Jammu city on Monday with the Congress, the AAP and some other organisations demanding the government to revoke the military recruitment scheme, prompting police to detain several members for blocking highways, officials said.
In view of Bharat Bandh observed in parts of the country, the police tightened security across the city and warned of strict action against those trying to disrupt the law and order situation.
Led by Uday Chib, hundreds of youth Congress activists assembled in the city and took out a protest rally against Agnipath but were stopped by the police. Over a dozen activists, including Chib, were detained by the police.
In another protest, the AAP activists took out a rally in Jewel Chowk area and they too were detained.
Lashing out at the government, Chib alleged that the scheme aimed to destroy the future of the Indian youths who aspired to be in the armed forces and demanded its revocation.
“It is not only playing with the future of the youths by offering them a four-year job policy, but also an insult to the institution of the armed forces and lowering its standards,” Chib said.
The AAP activists too raised anti-government slogans and demanded that the scheme be rolled back.
“Without any discussion or debate in the Parliament and (information) in the public domain, the scheme was brought by the government to destroy the future of youth. It shows the arrogance of the BJP government…,” a protester said.
Protests were also held in Kathua, Samba, Reasi and Rajouri districts.
Police, however, said there were no reports of violence from anywhere.
The Centre last Tuesday unveiled the Agnipath scheme to recruit youngsters aged between 17-and-a-half and 21 years in the army, navy and air force, largely on a four-year contractual basis. It later relaxed the upper age limit for this year’s recruitment to 23.
Protests against the scheme have hit various parts of the country, with agitators vandalising public property and burning down trains in states such as Bihar, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh among others.
