Agnipath is a gamechanger scheme for the Armed Forces and it is going to act as force multiplier in making the Indian military as one of the best in the world with its youthful, high-tech and ultra-modern outlook, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday.
At an event, the Defence Ministry, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and the three Services (Indian Army, Navy and Air Force), signed and exchanged Memorandums of Understanding (MoU)/Agreements with various stakeholders to facilitate the continued education of Agniveers while serving in the Armed Forces, and the award of appropriate skill certificates in accordance with their expertise and experience.
Under these MoUs with the National Institute of Open Schooling and the Indira Gandhi National Open University, suitable Class 12 certificates and Bachelor’s degrees will be awarded to the Agniveers, respectively, a Defence Ministry statement said.
The job roles and skill sets of the 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, the Ministry said, and based on these qualifications, market-ready and industry-accepted, ‘Kaushal Praman Patra’ will be issued to the Agniveers at the time of their exit from the Armed Forces.
Virtually addressing the event, Mr. Singh stated that with the signing of these MoUs, the Agniveers will be able to “complete their education in a timely manner and develop additional qualities and skills”.
In a video message, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that the agreements would empower serving Agniveers to get the maximum benefit from their academic education and skill development. He stated that the NOS will help them to pass their Class 10 and 12 examinations, while the enrolled Agniveer in university could complete 50% their syllabus in general higher studies, the rest of the credits could be earned through skill development training provided by defence institutions. The Agniveers could get a Bachelor’s degree from IGNOU or an Agniveer diploma on the completion of two years with necessary credit.
The first batch of Agniveers recruited under the new Agnipath scheme have just begun training. Under the Agnipath scheme announced on June 15, 2022 soldiers, sailors and airmen would only be recruited through the scheme for a period of four years, from among which 25% would be taken for Permanent Commission after fresh selection. Candidates between the age group of 17.5 to 21 years are eligible to apply for the scheme.
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