While many raise doubts and questions regarding the professional prospects for Agniveers after 4 years of intense training, a very foundational aspect is being missed out to be taken into consideration. Armed forces are known for discipline, compassion and service more than anything else. Not surprisingly, all these three qualities are also being seen as the essential requirement in the booming entrepreneurship and startup culture of New India. Combine ground training in extreme weather conditions and difficult terrains to the idea, and India is ready with trained, poised and industry-ready youth that is both able and eager to fill the country’s economic potholes. This lot will not only possess leadership qualities but their sense of service and submission are some of the natural instincts that the country can certainly look forward to.

Even before the process of recruitment starts under the transformative ‘Agnipath scheme’, the offers of jobs are splurging for the ‘Agniveers’ from both government and private entities. With Anand Mahindra- the chairman of the business conglomerate Mahindra Group and Harsh Goenka of RPG group announcing their readiness to hire ‘Agniveers’, many more corporate companies are expected to come up with such offers. Profusely appreciating the ‘Agnipath scheme’ Sanjeev Bikhchandani, the founder of Naurki.com has also said that Agniveers will have a sense of service and commitment and after serving the army for four years, they can easily adapt into a number of career options.

The calls pouring in for the Agniveers are exhilarating. State governments like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh among others have promised to give them reservations in state police forces and others. Union Home Ministry has already announced that the in Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles, Agniveers would be given priority. CAPFs include forces such as BSF, CISF, CRPF, ITBP, NSG and SSB. An announcement of 10% reservation in the Coast Guard, defence civilian posts and all the 16 defence public sector undertakings (DPSU) has already been made. Many other central ministries, PSUs & corporations have also pledged priority to Agniveers.

To support the ‘Agniveers’ on completion of their tenure, various public sector banks, public sector insurance firms and financial institutions have committed to explore employment opportunities for them in a meeting with Finance Ministry. Banks have also committed to explore the possibilities of supporting ‘Agniveers’ through suitable credit facilities for skill upgradation, education for setting up ventures and to instill the notion entrepreneurship. Importantly, the present government schemes like ‘MUDRA Yojana’, ‘Stand Up India’ scheme among others would also be leveraged to extend support to these soldiers. Besides, the Department of Telecom held a meeting with all the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) like Airtel, BSNL, Reliance Jio and Vodafone-Idea to discuss ways and means on how they can be utilized. During discussions, some areas like Optical Fibre Maintenance, Air Conditioning equipment, provision of infrastructure especially last mile connectivity, Fibre to Home (FTTH) and in customer interface areas, were identified in which engagement and employment of ‘Agniveers’ could be done. Youth affairs and sports ministry under Anurag Thakur has also announced that after 4 years of service, Agniveers would be considered for appointment as physical education teachers in schools.

Officials from the Armed forces and skill development and education ministries have already begun discussions on building a framework to enhance skills to be acquired by Agniveers. In the first round, they identified sectors like aviation, shipping, automotive, drone technology and management, armoured vehicles management, submarine related skilling courses during their four years of service itself. Ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship (MSDE) is going to collaborate with various wings of the armed forces to train the Agniveers in additional courses to offer them ‘Skill India Certificate’ while in service, enabling them to pursue diverse opportunities in entrepreneurship and job roles. All organizations related to ‘Skill India’ plan like Directorate General of Training, National Skill Development Corporation, various Sector Skills Councils, entrepreneurship institutes NIESBUD, IIE and skills regulators NCVET will be connected with this process of ensuring that Agniveers get the required certifications while in jobs.

Allaying the fears of fewer recruitments, Army vice-chief Lt-General B S Raju has said that Indian Army would progressively scale up the annual recruitment from 40,000 Agniveers this year to 1.2 lakh by the seventh or eighth year and then 1.6 lakh by the tenth or eleventh year under the Agnipath scheme. If apprehensions still exist, it is nothing but pure politics being played out by the vested interests, negatively fanning feelings of the youth.

Geography is important for Indian defence. Indian Peninsula is a distinct landmass. The country lays beautifully divided by the Tropic of Cancer in almost two equal halves with one part land-locked and embroidered with some of the greatest mountain ranges of the World, while the other lies submerged in water surrounded by 3 different oceans. As India rises as one of the promising Asian Superpowers and one among global leaders at large, having a strong defence ecosystem occupies a center-stage in terms of peace, security and geopolitics. India’s massive efforts to bolster its defence manufacturing capabilities, increase defence acquirements, enhanced patrolling, radar and exercises, changes in defence training and recruitments, encouragement to domestic defence manufacturers, allocation of increased defence funds, etc. are all for the bigger picture and future readiness.

Implementation of ‘Agnipath’- an attractive and transformative defence recruitment scheme of the Government of India, may prove to be a game changer for the Indian defence system. Now, soldiers recruited in the defence forces under this recruitment policy, will be termed as ‘Agniveers’ – a distinct rank in the Armed Forces, different from any other existing ranks. Under the new scheme, government is trying to create a youthful profile of the Armed forces. This way the newly recruited youth would be better able to be trained with newer technologies, which has enough prospects to transform the armed forces into youthful, techno- savvy and modern because even an infantry soldier now needs to be technologically advanced to use the whole range of weapons and communication devices. The scheme envisages to reduce the average age profile of Indian Armed forces by about 4-5 years.

‘Agniveer’ is going to be a part of the future-ready soldier and after 4 years of service, they will stand out in crowd with their attitude, skills, discipline and sense of timing and responsibilities. Under the new system, those wishing to work in the army for only a few years, can do so with a different aptitude and attitude towards life, society and nation building. Now aspirants between the ages of 17.5 years and 21 years will be eligible to apply and the recruitment standards will remain the same, with recruitment rallies to be organised twice a year. This scheme is set to give a better opportunity to the youth who choose to serve the nation as their full time job.

One of the reasons behind this revolutionary move may be an attempt to reduce the growing pension payout. But strengthening the connection between society and the military and instilling nationalism among the youth by providing an opportunity to fulfill their aspiration of serving in the Armed Forces, is of much more significance. Further, Agniveers will be given an attractive customised monthly package along with ‘Risk and Hardship’ allowances as applicable in the three services. After completion of the engagement period of 4 years, Agniveers will be accorded with the one time ‘SevaNidhi’ package.

Agniveers, selected for enrolment in the Indian Armed Forces as regular cadre, would be required to serve for the engagement period of minimum 15 years and he/she will be governed by the existing terms and conditions of service of Junior Commissioned Officers/other ranks in Indian Army and their equivalent in Indian Navy and Indian Air Force and that of Non Combatant enrolled in the Indian Air Force. 46,000 Agniveers are likely to be recruited under the first phase of recruitment.

Once selected, the aspirants will go through training for six months and then they will be deployed for three and a half years. During this period, they will be provided an attractive monthly package of Rs 30,000 per month with upgradation upto Rs 40,000 per month in 4th year. Importantly, during this period, 30% of their salary will be set aside under a ‘Seva Nidhi’ programme, and the government will contribute an equal amount every month along with providing accrue interest. At the end of the four-year period, Agniveer will be accorded Rs 11.71 lakh as a lump sum amount, which will be tax-free. Additionally, they will also get a Rs 48 lakh life insurance cover for the four years.

“Today, when a new world order is emerging, the world is looking at India with a hope and confidence, then India will also have to increase its efforts to rise up to the occasion”, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he inaugurated the ‘Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya’, a museum telling the glorious story of India after independence through the lives and contributions of all the 14 Prime Ministers of the country so far.

The Prime Minister also expressed pride in the fact that many of the Prime Ministers came from ordinary families. “It also gives confidence to the youth of the country that even a person born in an ordinary family can reach the highest positions in the democratic system of India… The more our youth knows about key occasions of Independent India, the more relevant will be their decisions,” said PM Modi, in a hope that the museum will expand the experience of the young generations. He said, “Every government formed in independent India has contributed in taking the country to the height it is at today… To remember them is to know the journey of independent India. People coming here will be familiar with the contribution of the former Prime Ministers of the country, their background, their struggles and creations”. The museum also gives some glimpses of our long fought freedom struggle and the making of the constitution which incorporated the beauties of then various existing constitutions across the globe.

Representing a seamless blend of the old and the new, the Sangrahalaya is safeguarding the past through its physical remains incorporated with technology-based interfaces like holograms, virtual reality, augmented reality, multi-touch, multimedia, interactive kiosks, computerized kinetic sculptures, smart-phone applications, interactive screens and experiential installations to present content in an interactive and engaging manner. These tech-based interfaces encompass heterogeneity in content and frequent rotation of display, making all 43 galleries of the museum a treat for the eyes.

Conceptualization of Sangrahalaya is guided by the vision of PM Modi to honour the contribution of all Prime Ministers of India towards nation building. Logo of the Sangrahalaya represents the hands of the people of India holding the Dharma Chakra symbolizing the nation and democracy. The design of the museum building is inspired by the story of rising India, shaped and moulded by the hands of its leaders. Keeping this tribute in ind, the design has been incorporated with sustainable and energy conservation practices. No trees were felled or transplanted during the course of work on the project. Also, the Sangrahalaya does include the erstwhile Nehru Museum, which throws light on the life and contributions of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. A number of gifts received by him from all over the world but not exhibited so far, have also been put on display.

The opening of such a rich collection is aimed at sensitizing and inspiring the younger generation about the leadership, vision and achievements of all our Prime Ministers.

Citizens of modern world, the inter-connected Global village, are always amazed to see the still prevalent rot method of learning and lack of choices around curriculum to citizens of developing and under-developed countries. Perhaps this educational disadvantage is the prime reason of backwardness in the first place. India is taking decisive action in removing this lacuna.

Adopting a strategic response to fast changing skill demands Government of India is working on a plan to have 10,000 to 15,000 courses from present 4,500 courses These courses are meant for skilling, up-skilling and re-skilling of lakhs of youth setting up enterprises and knocking the job market every year. To build a resilient mechanism for education delivery, ‘one class-one TV channel’ programme of PM eVIDYA will be expanded from 12 to 200 TV channels, which will enable all states to provide supplementary education in regional languages for classes 1-12. A Digital University is also being established to provide access to students across the country for world-class quality universal education with personalised learning experience at their doorsteps. This will be made available in different Indian languages and ICT formats. The best public universities and institutions in the country will collaborate as a network of hub-spokes.

Aim is to skill, re-skill and up-skill on a large scale with speed and high standards in order to achieve vision of a ‘Skilled India’ through collaborations with relevant Central Ministries, State governments, international organizations, industry bodies, NGOs and relevant Government institutions, namely, Directorate General of Training (DGT), National Skill Development Agency (NSDA), National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET), National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), National Skill Development Fund (NSDF) and 38 Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) as well as 33 National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs/NSTI(w)), around 15,000 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) under DGT and 187 training partners registered with NSDC.

Earlier, the Union Budget 2022 also stated that the skilling programme and partnership with the respective industry will be reoriented to promote continuous skilling avenues, sustainability and employability, and National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) will be aligned with dynamic industry needs. “Digital Ecosystem for Skilling and Livelihood-the DESH-Stack e-portal, will also be launched. This portal aims to empower citizens to skill, re-skill and up-skill through online training. It will also provide API-based trusted skill credentials, payment and discovery layers to find relevant jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities. The Start-ups will be promoted to facilitate ‘Drone Shakti’ through varied applications and for Drone-As-A-Service (DrAAS). In selected ITIs, in all states, the required courses for skilling, will be started,” said the Finance Minister.