"As a citizen, seeing Agnipath scheme as a helper in nation building..." says Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, "As the Defence Minister of the country, I do see the Agnipath scheme as helpful in building a strong, capable Armed Forces. Also, being a citizen, I am seeing this scheme as a helper in nation-building."

Defence Minister in his virtual address at the MoU Exchange Ceremony 'Outreach Programme with Ministry of Education (MoE) & and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MoSDE') in New Delhi, said, "Agnipath is a game changer scheme for the Armed Forces which is going to act as a force multiplier in making Indian military as one of the best in the world with youthful, high-tech and ultra-modern outlook."

During the event, the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Ministry of Education (MoE), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MoSDE) and all three Services signed/exchanged MoUs/ Agreements with various stakeholders to facilitate continued education of Agniveers while serving in the Armed Forces and award of appropriate skill certificates in accordance with their expertise/experience. Under these MoUs with the National Institute of Open School (NIOS) and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), suitable 12th Class certificates and Bachelor's degree will be awarded to the Agniveers respectively.

Pointing to the MoU, signed, Defence Minister said, "All these Academic Courses, Skill developmental programs will be helpful in creating new opportunities for the 'Agniveers' in future." He also elaborated on the paradigm-shifting changes the Agnipath scheme is going to make in transforming the Armed Forces into a tech-savvy, well-equipped and combat-ready unit to face future challenges.

"I am looking forward to the time when our Agniveers will come back and will benefit society," he added.

It is pertinent to mention that, the Job Roles/Skill Sets of Agniveers, while being trained and deployed with the Armed Forces, have been mapped with National Occupational Standards (NOS), in coordination with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Sector Skill Councils (SSCs). Based on these qualifications, market-ready and industry-accepted, 'Kaushal Praman Patra' will be issued to Agniveers at the time of their exit from the Armed Forces.

To seamlessly facilitate the process, various departments of MoSDE have extensively collaborated in the Armed Forces and awarded Dual Category recognition as the Awarding Body (AB) and Assessment Agency (AA) by the National Council of Vocational Education and Training (NCVET). In addition, the Directorate General of Training (DGT) under MoSDE would also facilitate the award of the National Trade Certificates (NTC) to Agniveers.

Defence Minister added that helping 'Agniveers' would be a win-win situation for all as they will not only become 'Surakshaveers' for the nation by rendering their services in the Armed Forces but also become 'Samriddhiveers' by contributing to the nation's prosperity. They will be beneficial for the whole society contributing to the nation building through their education, skill, discipline and other qualities. In addition to it, they would inspire the youth to become Agniveer, he said.

Complimenting the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Railways, state governments and the private sector for extending support to Agniveers in various services, the Raksha Mantri called upon the rest of the Ministries, State Governments and the corporate sector to come forward with more enthusiasm and provide new opportunities to the Agniveers as far as possible. He termed it as the responsibility of the system to provide newer opportunities to the Agniveers who dedicate their life in the service of the nation."

In a video message, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, these MoUs/Agreements would empower the serving Agniveers to get the maximum benefit from their academic education and skill development. He added that NOS will help them to pass the 10th and 12th exams, while enrolled Agniveer in university could complete 50 per cent syllabus of general higher studies, the rest credit could be earned through skill development training provided by defence institutions. They could get a bachelor's degree from IGNOU and with two years completed with the necessary credit, they could get an Agniveer diploma. These degrees would help Agniveer to get employment and higher education at national and international levels.

The Government launched the Agnipath scheme on June 15, 2022, to recruit both male and female aspirants into the 'below the officer's rank' cadre of the three services for a period of four years as Agniveers. Candidates between the age group of 17.5 to 21 years are eligible to apply for the scheme. These Agniveers would undergo optimised basic military training and specialised trade training followed by up-skilling courses, as required.

The scheme provides a unique opportunity for transforming the Yuva Shakti into Agniveers and facilitates potential youth to realise their dream of serving the Nation through the Armed Forces. Exposure through Agnipath Scheme and fostered allegiance to Naam, Namak and Nishan, would shape Agniveers into Nation Builders.

There has been a whole national approach to empower the Agniveers with suitable Academic Qualifications & Skills, while serving in the Armed Forces, to help those Aginiveers who wish to start a second career option outside, with other Governmental organisations, Industries or even as Startup Entrepreneurs.

The ceremony was attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Defence, and various ministries, including the Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, and also the Chiefs of all three Services. (ANI)