What Is Tour Of Duty? Check All Details Here

The Central Government has announced a new recruitment scheme in the Indian Armed Forces- Tour of Duty or Agnipath Scheme. Candidates between 17 to 21 years of age are eligible to apply for this scheme.

All those who are selected will be selected for a duration of four years and will serve in Defence Forces. These youngsters will be given six months of training and will have three and a half years of service. There are various details attached to Tour of Duty. Read this blog to know all about Tour of Duty and other details. If you are preparing for competitive exams and looking for expert guidance, you can download our General Knowledge Free Ebook Download Now.

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Tour of Duty
Benefits of Tour of Duty
Disadvantages of Tour of Duty

Tour of Duty

Candidates between 17 to 21 years of age who have completed 10+2 will be eligible to apply for this unique recruitment scheme. The selected candidate would get a monthly remuneration of Rs 30000 during first year and it will be increasing to Rs 40000 till last year and a terminal benefit insurance package called ‘Seva Nidhi’ of Rs 10 to 12 lakhs, half of which would be contributed by him from his pay in monthly installments. Out of all the candidates who will be selected, 25% will be retained and will serve for additional 15 years and will be eligible to receive pension and post-retirement benefits. The recruited candidates will be called Aginveers. Besides the non-contributory Life Insurance Cover of Rs 48 Lakh while they are on TOD, their package according to the MoD statement will be exempted from Income Tax and also there will be no entitlement to gratuity and pensions.

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Benefits of Tour of Duty

All those candidates who join the Defence Forces will learn various qualities such as discipline, physical fitness, confidence, military experience and so on a a very young age. At the end of their service they will be given a certificate called Agniveer Skill Certificate which will form a part of the resume of the candidates and these yougsters can add to the civil world in various ways. Candidates will also receive Seva Nidhi Package. These youth will have an option to access bank loans for a period of three years or more of Rs 18.2 lakhs against their Seva Nidhi package. This concept of Tour of Duty will fill the many vacant spots in the Defence Forces and add to the man power. This is a golden opportunity for candidates who are looking for direct employment after school and who want to serve the Defence forces for short duration.

Disadvantages of Tour of Duty

While the scheme has been hailed by a lot of people, it has also received some criticism. It is said that the scheme can be harmful for the quality of service in the Defence Forces. It can happen that Agniveers will not be as productive as they are required to be. Another concern is about the duration of service which is very short and since everyone will not be given extension after 4 years, there is worry about the career of the youths who will be removed after a service of four years.