Agniveer candidates taking a test in Jammu & Kashmir, in 2022. (Representational photo)
New Delhi: The Indian Army has changed its selection process for new Agniveers. Now, from the next recruitment session, candidates will have to take an online examination first before physical and medical test. For this, an online common entrance examination will be held at 200 locations across the country.
The new recruitment process will be announced in the second week of February.
The Army said the change has been made with the aim to make the selection process smoother and give weightage to the candidates’ cognitive aspect apart from their physical abilities.
Sources in the Indian Army said applications for the new Agniveer batch would be invited in the second week of February this year while the online test would be conducted in April. All preparations have been completed for holding the test.
Speaking on this, an Army official said, “The changed methodology will ensure increased focus on cognitive aspect during selection. It will have wider outreach across the country and reduce the large crowds seen during recruitment rallies to make them more manageable and easier to conduct.”
The Army has uploaded several animated videos on “How to Register” and “How to Appear in Online Common Entrance Exam” on its website. Apart from this, aspirants can practice appearing for the online test by using links and tools made available on the site.
The Army hopes the new move would not only manage the huge crowd but also reduce the cost involved in the recruitment rallies. In smaller towns, over 5,000 candidates used to participate in the rallies while over 1.5 lakh in big cities.
It may be noted that before this new scheme, Agniveer aspirants had to first undergo the physical test, followed by the medical tests. Only after passing those tests, they qualified for the common entrance test.
So far, the Army has inducted 19,000 Agniveers since the scheme was launched in 2021.
