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BrahMos Aerospace announces job reservations for Agniveers
BrahMos Aerospace said at least 15% of technical and general administration vacancies will be reserved for Agniveers
The Indo-Russian joint venture BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd, which manufactures the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, has reserved a raft of vacancies for Agniveers, recruited under the Agnipath scheme, in various departments including technical, general administration and security, and it will also encourage its industry partners to hire such soldiers who are released after four years of service.
In an office order published on Thursday, BrahMos Aerospace said at least 15% of technical and general administration vacancies will be reserved for Agniveers who will also be recruited for at least 50% positions in security and other administrative functions at various centres where such tasks have been outsourced.
“The #Agniveers, with their rigorous, time-bound training in military tactics, technical proficiency, discipline & quick adaptability, will be the backbone of India’s growing defence & industrial sectors. As #India continues its journey towards becoming a developed nation by 2047, the contribution of #Agniveers in industries like ours will be pivotal in shaping the country’s future,” the company said in a statement posted on X on Friday.
Also Read:BJP promises MSP, jobs for ex-Agniveers in its Haryana manifesto
The development comes days ahead of the assembly elections in Haryana where the scheme has met with stiff opposition.
BrahMos Aerospace is the first major company to officially announce reservations for Agniveers across various functions. To be sure, the government has reserved 10% vacancies in the Central Armed Police Forces, and several defence public sector undertakings are likely to make similar amendments to their recruitment rules along with age relaxation to hire Agniveers. Some states, including Haryana and Rajasthan, have also announced reservations for Agniveers in their police forces.
The recruitment model, a political hot button, was introduced two years ago with the stated objective of keeping the armed forces young and battle-ready. Agnipath was a major departure from the military’s decades-old recruitment system that was scrapped when the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government announced the new scheme in June 2022.
Only young men and women aged between 17 and a half and 21 are eligible under the scheme that seeks to recruit soldiers for only four years, with a provision to retain 25% of them in regular service for another 15 years.
Industry partners of BrahMos Aerospace will also be encouraged to recruit at least 15% Agniveers in their establishments, and the commercial supply orders will now include this in terms and conditions, the company said.
“#BrahMosAerospace strongly believes that #Agniveers, passed out from Govt. of India’s Agnipath Scheme, will not only fill the skill gap at grassroots level for the Indian defence industries, but also provide a dedicated workforce which places the Nation and the organisation at the forefront,” the company said on X.
BrahMos Aerospace has also made a provision for hiring Agniveers for at least 15% of contractual vacancies through third party contract staffing depending on their experience and qualification for technical roles.
On September 5, HT reported the government has no plans to shake up the controversial Agnipath model that cuts tenure of personnel below officer rank and offers them fewer service benefits as making any changes to the scheme will go against the grain of what it seeks to achieve and endanger India’s security interests.
The scheme, which the Opposition Congress has repeatedly called for scrapping, has come under fire from aspirants across the country, especially the northern states, and is believed to have cost the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a chunk of votes across the region in the summer’s national elections.
Soldiers recruited under the legacy system serve for about 20 years before they retire in their late 30s with pension and other benefits including health care and canteen facilities, which Agniveers released from service after four years are not entitled to.
In July, Prime Minister Narendra Modi brushed aside criticism of the Agnipath model, saying it will boost combat effectiveness and increase the strength of the country.
Speaking in Dras from a makeshift stage on a helipad named after a 22-year-old Kargil war hero killed in action, he said, “Discussions on reducing the age profile of the armed forces had been going on for decades, but there was no political will to make this happen. The average age of Indian soldiers was way more than the global average and that was worrisome.”
The PM’s comments came at a function organised by the army to mark the 25th anniversary of victory in the Kargil war with Pakistan.
