Around 20 per cent of naval 'Agniveers' this year will be women

NEW DELHI: Around 20 per cent of the 'Agniveers' to be inducted by the Indian Navy this year will be women, Navy officials said on Tuesday.

The Navy plans to recruit about 3,000 personnel this year under the 'Agnipath' recruitment scheme and has started the registration process for the aspirants on July 1. The Navy will recruit women sailors for the first time through the new scheme.

"Twenty per cent of the naval Agniveers will be women subject to their meeting required criteria," said a senior Navy official.

The Agnipath scheme, announced on June 14, seeks to recruit youths between the age bracket of 17-and-half years to 21 for only four years with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for 15 more years.

For 2022, the upper age limit has been extended to 23 years. Under the scheme, the three services are set to recruit 46,000 personnel this year and the number is going to increase in the coming years.

The Navy has already announced that the application window would be available from July 15 to 30 and examination and physical fitness tests would be held in mid-October. It said the first batch of recruits will join the training programme at INS Chilka in Odisha by November 21.

There were violent protests for days in many parts of the country after the new military recruitment model was unveiled. The Supreme Court is likely to hear next week the pleas challenging the 'Agnipath' scheme.