Women Agniveers will be inducted into various branches of the Navy including logistics and ordnance. They will also be posted on board ships depending on the vacancies and facilities available
Representational image. PTI
New Delhi: The Indian Navy on Tuesday said that 20% of its recruits in the first batch of Agniveers will be women.
They would be inducted into different branches of the Navy, officials told ANI.
This year, the Navy will recruit 3,000 Agniveers as part of the four-year recruitment scheme for the armed force called Agnipath.
The Navy began recruitment under the Agnipath scheme on 1 July. On Monday, government officials told ANI that around 10,000 female candidates have already applied.
“The Agnipath scheme in the Navy will be gender-neutral. As we speak, 30 women officers are sailing on frontline warships,” Navy officials had said.
Which branches of the Navy can women join?
According to the information available on the Navy website, women Agniveers will be inducted into various branches including naval air mechanic, logistics, ordnance and communication.
They will also be posted on board ships depending on the vacancies and facilities available.
Will the training of men and women differ?
The navy website adds that women Agniveers will undergo the same training as men. However, women will have separate living quarters.
The Agnipath scheme
The Centre on Tuesday launched the Agnipath scheme. As part of the initiative, 46,000 Agniveers will be recruited for a four-year duration in 2022.
Up to 25 percent of the Agvineers will be retained while the rest will let go with a severance package at the end of their service.
Also read: ‘Protests due to misinformation’: Navy Chief says did not anticipate stir over Agnipath scheme
The scheme led to massive protests which often turned violent across multiple states. Demonstrators vandalised public property and torched trains. At least one person was killed when security personnel opened fire to disperse a crowd at the Secunderabad Railway Station.
With inputs from agencies
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