Agniveer drive in Bhopal: 3000 on Day 1; 40,000 expected to participate till Nov 7

Bhopal, Oct 28: Over 40,000 youth from Bhopal and nearby districts are expected to participate in the the recruitment test for 'Agniveer' which commenced on Thursday at the Motilal Nehru stadium.

On the first day, around 3,000 youth turned up on the first day and 317 people have cleared the physical test. The drive will continue till November 7.

Youth from eight districts - Bhopal, Betul, Narmadapuram (Hoshangabad), Chhindwara, Raisen, Rajgarh, Sehore and Vidisha, participated in the physical test, Col. S. Bakudi told IANS.

"The process for the physical test of youth aspiring to become soldiers was started at 12 p.m. A total of 317 candidates have qualified and they will next appear for a written test. This recruitment process will continue till November 7," the news agency quoted the Army officer as saying.

This is the first recruitment process in Madhya Pradesh after the Centre announced to recruit youth for a period of four years under the 'Agniveer' scheme.

The Agnipath scheme, which is the only route to serve in the military, was approved by the Indian Government in June 2022 to be implemented from September 2022. The scheme is for both male and female aspirants of age group 17.5 to 21 years. The Central Government raised the upper limit from 21 to 23, but only for recruitment in the year 2022 following violent protests.

The recruitment through this scheme is to be twice a year for the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force. The posts available are below the officer cadre.