Agneepath or Agnipath Scheme was recently launched by the government in an effort to bring a change in the recruitment process of the Armed Forces. With the new military recruitment scheme facing backlash, Centre has decided to bring a change in the upper age limit for recruiting Agniveers.
Granting a one-time waiver, Centre on June 16, 2022 announced that the Agniveer upper age limit for recruitments via Agnipath Scheme has been extended to 23 years from 21 years.
Issuing an official statement on Agnipath Scheme, Defence Ministry said that the one-time waiver in the upper age limit has been granted as no recruitments have take in place in last two years. Experts believe that the decision also comes at the backdrop of Agnipath-related protests that have been erupting in several parts of the country.
A statement by PIB read, “The Government has decided that a one-time waiver shall be granted for the proposed recruitment cycle for 2022. Accordingly, the upper age limit for the recruitment process for Agnipath scheme for 2022 is increased to 23 years.”