Army aspirants taking part in a run conducted as part of the Agniveer recruitment rally in Kozhikode

"The Army has scheduled an online combined entrance examination that will span 174 locations nationwide," said an official

NEW DELHI: Even as the Agniveer troop induction scheme of the armed forces is gaining the attention of political parties before the general elections, the Indian Army is set to roll out its recruitment drive for 2024-25.

"There are plans to conduct a staggering 96 recruitment rallies across the nation, with a focus on integrating women into the force. This year's recruitment plan includes 11 specially designated rallies for the selection of women Agniveers into the Corps of Military Police (CMP)," said an Army official.

"The Army has scheduled an online combined entrance examination that will span 174 locations nationwide," the official added.

The examination window, set from April 22 to May 7, is expected to witness participation from an unprecedented 12 lakh 80 thousand registered candidates, indicating robust interest among the youth in a career in the armed forces, they added.

The recruitment plan seeks to attract skilled and motivated individuals capable of contributing to the nation's security.

The inclusion of extensive testing locations and the substantial number of rallies underscore the Army's commitment to making the recruitment process accessible and equitable.

As preparations for the rallies and examinations are underway, the anticipation and enthusiasm among prospective candidates are palpable, setting the stage for another year of transformative recruitment cycle.

While the Air Force and the Navy have opened their induction of female candidates under this scheme, female candidates do not join the Army.

There are around 200 women soldiers in CMP with a plan to induct a total of 1700 eventually.

There was a backlash on the new recruitment policy for the armed forces which the Cabinet approved in June 2022. All recruitments for the soldiers, sailors and airmen are held under this scheme with the terms of engagement stipulating a contractual induction getting over in four years.

Under the old system, youth from the ages 16-and-a-half to 21 were selected for a minimum of 15 years of service and used to get a pension for their service. Under the new scheme, 100 per cent of the recruits will leave after four years and then around 25 per cent will be taken back from among them under a fresh process and will serve on a permanent basis.

As reported earlier, between 2022 and 2026, around 1.75 lakh Agniveers are expected to be recruited.

As per Lieutenant General Anil Puri, the then additional secretary of the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) of the Ministry of Defence, the intake of Agniveers will go up to 1.25 lakh in the near future and will not remain at 46,000, which is the present figure.

"In the next four to five years, our intake (of soldiers) will be 50,000-60,000 and will increase to 90,000-1 lakh subsequently. We've started small at 46,000 to analyse the scheme... and to build up infrastructure capacity," Puri had said in June 2022. DMA looks after training and staffing.

(With Agency Inputs)