New record: Air Force receives 7.5L applications under Agnipath

CHENNAI: The Indian Air Force has received the highest number of applications under the new military recruitment programme, Agnipath, compared to the conventional recruitment format that had been in practice so far. The number hit nearly 7.5 lakh.

“The online registration process conducted by #IAF towards #Agnipath Recruitment Scheme has been completed,” Indian Air Force tweeted on July 5, which was the last date of submitting application.

"Compared to 6,31,528 applications in the past, which was the highest in any recruitment cycle, this time 7,49,899 applications have been received," IAF added to the tweet, after the registrations ended.

The online registration process conducted by #IAF towards #AgnipathRecruitmentScheme has been completed.

Compared to 6,31,528 applications in the past, which was the highest in any recruitment cycle, this time 7,49,899 applications have been received.#Agniveers pic.twitter.com/pSz6OPQF2V

— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) July 5, 2022

Those between 17-and-a-half and 23 years old are eligible to become Agniveers. However, the government in June increased the upper age limit for the scheme to 23 from 21 years as a one-time-relaxation only for the year 2022, considering the fact that military aspirants have lost two years to the pandemic during which no recruitment was done.

Some Agnipath applicants have raised concerns over what would happen to them after their four-year service ends, as only 25% of Agniveers will be absorbed into the force.

In response, the government has sought to assuage their worries of job security with a range of announcements and guidance about what they could do once their tour of duty is over.

Many Agniveers would be eligible for entry to central paramilitary forces. This benefits both the force and Agniveers as they don't need to be trained from scratch.