Agnipath is a game-changer scheme for the armed forces as it will act as a force multiplier in making the Indian military one of the best in the world with a youthful, high-tech and ultra-modern outlook.

This was stated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during his virtual address at the MoU exchange ceremony with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MoSDE’) in New Delhi.

He elaborated on the paradigm-shifting changes the Agnipath scheme was going to make in transforming the armed forces into a tech-savvy, well-equipped and combat-ready unit to face future challenges.

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 degrees will be awarded to the Agniveers respectively.

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.

Rajnath said with the signing of these MoUs, Agniveers would be able to complete their education in a timely manner and develop additional qualities and skills. When Agniveers return to society after being equipped with all these qualities, they would contribute to nation-building, he said.

He said helping ‘Agniveers’ would be a win-win situation for all as they would not only become ‘Surakshaveers’ for the nation by rendering their services to the armed forces, but also become ‘Samriddhiveers’ by contributing to the nation’s prosperity. They would be beneficial for the whole society by contributing to nation-building through their education, skill, discipline, and other qualities. In addition, they would inspire the youth to become Agniveers, he said.