In an effort to enhance skills of soldiers or Agniveers now inducted into the armed forces through the Agnipath scheme, the Defence Ministry on Tuesday inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministries of Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
Describing the Agnipath scheme, which was rolled out in June last year, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the scheme is a game changer for the armed forces which is going to act as force multiplier in making Indian military one of the best in the world with a youthful, high-tech and ultra-modern outlook.
He addressed in the virtual mode the MoU Exchange Ceremony ‘Outreach Programme with Ministry of Education & and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship’ here.
During the event, the three Ministries and all the three Services signed agreements with various stakeholders to facilitate continued education of Agniveers while serving in the military and award of appropriate skill certificates in accordance with their expertise or experience.
Under these MoUs with National Institute of Open School (NIOS) and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), suitable 12th Class certificates and Bachelor’s degree will be awarded to the Agniveers respectively.
The Job Roles and Skill Sets of Agniveers, while being trained and deployed with the Armed Forces, have been mapped with National Occupational Standards (NOS), in coordination with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Sector Skill Councils (SSCs). Based on these qualifications, market-ready and industry-accepted, ‘Kaushal Praman Patra’ will be issued to Agniveers at the time of their exit from the Armed Forces.
Rajnath said with the signing of these MoUs, Agniveers will be able to complete their education in a timely manner and develop additional qualities and skills. When Agniveers return to the society after being equipped with all these qualities, they will contribute to nation building, he said.