Army to introduce easy app for Agniveers

The Indian Army is preparing to use the 'ASAAN' app to obtain consent from Agniveers regarding whether they wish to continue in service or exit after completing their four years of service, according to a report by Aaj Tak. Previously, the Ministry of Home Affairs' portal was used for this process, but preparations are now underway to implement this new arrangement.

Under the revised Agnipath scheme, consideration will be given to inducting 25 per cent of Agniveers into the Army on a permanent basis after completing four years of service. Agniveers who are not selected for permanent recruitment will also be offered an option for a two-year service extension. Under this new arrangement, Agniveers will be provided with four main options for their careers.

Among these four options, the first is permanent recruitment into the Army; the second is obtaining an optional two-year service extension along with permanent recruitment; the third is taking only a two-year service extension; and the fourth is exiting the Army service. Agniveers selected for permanent recruitment may be directly deployed in the Rashtriya Rifles (RR), which means they may receive immediate operational deployment upon joining the Army permanently.

The Army is also considering other changes to the rules for Agniveers. Along with the use of the ASAAN app, the Army has also sought opinions from all units on whether Agniveers can be permitted to marry during the two-year extended tenure and whether accommodation facilities can be provided for married soldiers. Additionally, the Army is considering a proposal to increase the current 30 days of annual leave.

According to the rules, Agniveers who are selected for permanent recruitment or those who decide to take a two-year service extension will have to take a prescribed break before reporting to their respective regimental centres under the new recruitment process. Furthermore, the service conditions for Agniveers during the two-year service extension are also being re-examined.

Soldiers recruited under the Agnipath scheme are involved in the country's security after being provided training for a specific period. Under this scheme, soldiers are provided with various training and experience during their period of service so that they can contribute to national security.