Indian Army bars Agniveers from marrying during their tenure of service

The Indian Army has issued a notification stating that candidates joining the Agniveer scheme, especially those aspiring to get married, must not marry during the initial engagement period of four years.

The Agniveer scheme is a four-year engagement program that enables candidates to join the Army. The Army authorities have clarified that only unmarried Agniveers who have completed their initial four-year engagement will be considered for re-enrollment as regular sepoys.

Eligibility Criteria for Agniveer Scheme

The recruitment rules state that candidates aged between 17.5 years and 21 years are eligible for selection under the Agniveer scheme. However, those joining at the age of 20 or 21 will be deprived of getting married during their initial stint, even if they attain the marriageable age. Candidates will have to submit a duly notarized affidavit in a prescribed form clearly giving "an undertaking not to get married on selection as an Agniveer."

Impact on Rural Haryana

Soldiers are a preferred matrimonial choice in rural Haryana, and with landholdings shrinking, Army jobs are the only opportunity for youngsters from the hinterland. Honorary Captain Ishwar Singh, president of the ex-servicemen body of Jind district in Haryana, stated that the condition of not getting married during the four-year period would certainly have a major impact in the state's rural belt.