Scheme to hire Agniveers will ensure youthful profile of armed forces: Army chief

Indian Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande. (Pic/PTI)

Indian Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande on Thursday called the 'Agnipath' scheme a "path-breaking" manpower intake methodology and asserted that it will ensure the youthful profile of the armed forces.

Under the Agnipath scheme, which was introduced in 2022, soldiers are enrolled as Agniveers by the armed forces for four years. They can then go back to society and take up jobs in other sectors to pursue a career of their choice.

"In the human resource management domain, the introduction of the Agniveer (Agnipath) scheme has been a path-breaking manpower intake and management methodology. This will ensure the youthful profile and bring more technologically adapted and oriented soldiers into ranks and file," said the Army chief.

Gen Pande was speaking at the convocation and scroll presentation ceremony at the College of Military Engineering in Pune.

He said the scheme also ensures that the "best of the best" are retained as core manpower of the armed forces.

Gen Pande said that the integration of Agniveers into the units and subunits is the key as their assessment and retention in service is based entirely on merit.

"You all are going to be important stakeholders at the grassroots in your units. I want you to provide professional leadership and mentorship both as expected from a good sub-unit commander," he said while addressing the graduate officers.

The top defence official said that the Indian Army has embarked upon the path of transformation since last one year.

The need for the transformation has accrued four key drivers such as unprecedented trends in the geo-strategic landscape, the limitless potential of destructive technology, the changing character of war and profound changes in the socio-economic situation, he said.

"In order to address these imperatives to affect the changing design, we implemented a transformation road map a year ago. We have made good progress and good beginnings to ensure continued focus and impetus across all wide pillars of the transformation road map," he said.

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