Graduation joy for 1st batch of Agniveers

BHUBANESWAR: The first batch of 2,600 Agniveers, including 273 women, recruited under the Agnipath scheme of the defence ministry, passed out on Tuesday on completion of their 16 weeks of ab initio training at INS Chilka.
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar reviewed the passing out parade on the banks of Chilika lake at Balugaon in Khurda district and later gave away different awards to the meritorious Agniveers.
An INS Chilka spokesperson said that the Agniveers were divided into nine divisions and received training on boating, sailing, sports and weapons firing. A total of 25 Agniveers, including 11 women, from this batch also participated in the Republic Day parade in New Delhi.
Congratulating the newly inducted Agniveers, Admiral Hari Kumar said that this is the first-ever passing out of the Agniveers from any training institution of the country. “It is a significant landmark towards a new beginning for the armed forces and the nation,” he said.
“The representation of our women Agniveers have showed our commitment towards naari shakti (women empowerment). The training of the Agniveers was rigorous and they are prepared enough to entrusted with the defence of the country. The Agniveers have been promised a firm and disciplined career,” Admiral Hari Kumar Kumar said.
The passing out parade was conducted after sunset in a departure from tradition for the first time in the armed forces. Usually such parades are conducted in the morning.
During the passing out parade, the Navy announced the institution of an award in acknowledgement of the contribution of the first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat.
The General Bipin Rawat Rolling Trophy was presented by his daughters to a woman Agniveer who stood first in the overall order of merit. Sprint queen and MP PT Usha, among others, were present at the ceremony.
“My two sons have graduated in this batch. I feel so proud to have my boys in the Navy now. This is also a special moment to have my sons in the first batch of Agniveers in the country,” Rithika Mohapatra, a parent, said.
The training of the recruits started in November 2022 at INS Chilka. As per data, the Navy received over 10 lakh applications under the Agnipath scheme, out of whom 82,000 were women.