Home Ministry's BIG announcement - Priority to 'Agniveers' in recruitment for CAPF, Assam Rifles

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday made a major announcement that it will give priority to personnel ('Agniveers') who successfully complete four years of service under the 'Agnipath' central recruitment scheme while hiring for the CAPFs (Central Armed Police Forces) and Assam Rifles.

 

‘अग्निपथ योजना’ युवाओं के उज्ज्वल भविष्य के लिए @narendramodi जी का एक दूरदर्शी व स्वागत योग्य निर्णय है।

इसी संदर्भ में आज गृह मंत्रालय ने इस योजना में 4 साल पूरा करने वाले अग्निवीरों को CAPFs और असम राइफल्स में भर्ती में प्राथमिकता देने का निर्णय लिया है।#BharatKeAgniveer — गृहमंत्री कार्यालय, HMO India (@HMOIndia) June 15, 2022

 

The announcement was made a day after the Centre on Tuesday unveiled a "transformative" scheme -"Agnipath" - for the recruitment of soldiers in the Army, Navy and the Air Force largely on a four-year short-term contractual basis, in a major overhaul of the decades-old selection process to bring in fitter and younger troops to deal with future security challenges facing the nation.

Who can be recruited under the 'Agnipath' scheme?

 

Under the scheme, around 46,000 soldiers will be recruited this year between the ages of 17 and a half years and 21 years into the three services, the defence ministry said. The recruitment will be based on an "all India, all-class" basis that is set to change the composition of several regiments that recruit youths from specific regions as well as castes such as Rajputs, Jats and Sikhs.

After completion of the four-year tenure of the recruits, the scheme provides for retaining 25 per cent of each specific batch for regular service, based on organisational requirements and policies promulgated by the armed forces from time to time.

Rajnath launches 'Agnipath' scheme

 

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh provided details of the new initiative at a media briefing in the presence of three service chiefs shortly after the Prime Minister-headed Cabinet Committee on Security approved the scheme that the government said would allow "patriotic and motivated" youth to serve in the armed forces for four years.

"Under the 'Agnipath' scheme, Indian youth will be provided an opportunity to serve in the armed forces as 'Agniveer'. This scheme has been brought to strengthen the security of the country. It is a transformative scheme," Singh said and added that it will enhance the combat potential of the armed forces with a younger profile and technologically adept soldiers.

Describing it as a major defence policy reform to usher in a "new era" in the human resource policy of the three services, the defence ministry said the scheme comes into immediate effect and will govern the enrolment for the three services for the recruitment process for personnel below officer rank (PBOR). The scheme was known at the proposal stage as the 'Tour of Duty' (ToD).

Monthly salary and tax exemptions 

 

The monthly salary of an 'Agniveer' in the first year of employment would be Rs 30,000 and the in-hand amount would be Rs 21,000 as Rs 9,000 would go to a corpus and the government will make an equal contribution per month.

Subsequently, the monthly salary in the second, third and fourth year will be Rs 33,000, Rs 36,500 and Rs 40,000 respectively. Each 'Agniveer' will get an amount of Rs 11.71 lakh as the 'Seva Nidhi Package' and it will be exempted from the income tax. The scheme is also expected to cut the ballooning salary and pensions bills of the armed forces as there will be no entitlement to gratuity and pensionary benefits.

The defence budget of Rs 5,25,166 crore for 2022-23 included Rs 1,19,696 crore for defence pensions. The allocation for revenue expenditure was Rs 2,33,000 crore. The revenue expenditure includes expenses on payment of salaries and maintenance of establishments.

When asked whether the scheme was aimed at cutting the pension bill of the armed forces, Singh said the government will always make available adequate resources for the three services and there was no question of a shortage of funds for them.

The recruits will be provided non-contributory life insurance cover of Rs 48 lakh for the duration of their engagement period in the armed forces, according to the defence ministry. The four-year tenure under the new scheme will include around two-and-a-half months to six months of training periods.

The ministry said 'Agniveers' would form a distinct rank in the armed forces, different from any other existing ranks.