Finance
The Army has announced a change in its recruitment process for Agniveers: candidates will first have to take an online common entrance examination (CEE) at designated centers, followed by physical fitness tests during recruitment rallies, and finally medical tests before being selected.
The Army published an advertisement on Friday outlining the three steps for recruiting soldiers to the force.
Previously, the recruitment process for Agniveers was conducted in a different order. Candidates had to first pass a physical fitness test, which was followed by medical exams. As the final step, they had to qualify the CEE.
So far, 19,000 Agniveers have joined the Army, with another 21,000 expected to join in the first week of March. The new recruitment rules will apply to approximately 40,000 candidates interested in joining the Army beginning with the 2023-24 recruitment cycle.
Previously, the number of candidates who attended recruitment rallies ranged from 5,000 in smaller towns to 1.5 lakh in larger cities.
According to army officers, the change in the recruitment process was made due to the enormous administrative costs and logistical arrangements required to deal with the thousands of candidates who attend recruitment rallies.
“The earlier process led to screening of a large number of candidates, which stressed administrative resources. A large number of security personnel had to be deployed to tackle law and order situation, and a substantial medical staff had to be committed for the rallies,” an officer said.
The officer went on to say that the new recruitment process will significantly reduce the costs of organizing rallies and ease the administrative and logistical burden.
According to a second officer, with a push toward modernization and the planned introduction of niche technologies into the Army in the future, it is prudent to have a pool of academically sound soldiers in the force.
“The new process which makes CEE qualification the first screening step will ensure better qualified candidates, who will then be examined for their physical fitness and will undergo medical tests,” the officer said.
Source:IE
