The applicants are competing for 40,000 jobs offered under the scheme. 750,000 applications applied to join the Indian Air Force, while nearly 100,000 people applied to join the Indian Navy, including over 82,000 women.

Photo Credit : Ministry of Defence,

More than 3.5 million applicants have registered to join the Indian Armed Forces under the Agnipath scheme, officials said on Thursday.

Ahnipath is a short-term induction scheme for soldiers into the three services. The applicants are competing for 40,000 jobs offered under the scheme introduced three months ago.

According to one of the officials, the army is holding 96 recruitment rallies across the nation this year, 30 are already finished, 12 are in progress and the remaining rallies are scheduled to take place in December.

250,000 women are applying for army jobs and they are competing for 100 positions in the Corps of Military Police, the only component of the army that admits women into the personnel below officer rank (PBOR) cadre.

After completing six months of training, the first group of Agniveers in the army will be able to join their troops in July 2023.

India unveiled a new programme on June 14 to replace the previous system and lower the average age of its armed forces, assure better military fitness and develop a technically proficient warfighting force capable of taking on new challenges.

The reaction has been positive to hiring for the other two Agnipath services. For example, 750,000 applications applied to join the Indian Air Force, while nearly 100,000 people applied to join the Indian Navy, including over 82,000 women. This year, the navy and IAF are both providing 3,000 jobs with each. The hiring procedure for the three services began in June or July and will be finished by year's end.

Agniveers will receive an annual salary of Rs 4.76 lakh in their first year of service and Rs 6.92 lakh in their fourth year. They will also receive a non-contributory insurance cover of Rs 48 lakh and an additional ex gratia payment of Rs 44 lakh in the event of their death due to their employment.

Those who are released after four years would receive a Seva Nidhi severance package worth Rs 11.71 lakh, which includes Rs 5.02 lakh that they contributed while in service. They will also be subject to employment quotas in various government agencies, paramilitary groups and other divisions.