Armed Forces new recruitment plan Tour of Duty set to be rolled out by May end

New Delhi: Government is all set to announce the new recruitment scheme, the Tour of Duty, for the armed forces at the end of May 2022. The final structure of the plan, which will replace the existing structure of joining the force, is likely to be ready by the end of this month. Tour of Duty (ToD) is the first of its kind model for the short term recruitment of jawans into the three Services of the armed forces for a period of four years.

Highly placed sources told Defence Watch that the rigours involved in selection won't change, but there can be some changes in the induction process. A permanent cadre will be inducted once their cycle of four years gets completed.

They said that the plan is to conduct the written exams first so that only those meeting the eligibility condition are called for physical tests, thus reducing the chaos during the recruitment rally.

They added that the ToD will bring down the average age profile of the units from the present 35-36 years to 25-26 years.

"Efforts are being made to make it an attractive proposition for the recruits, with a severance package and a certificate/diploma that will help in post-military employment," sources further said.

The three forces are currently facing a manpower crunch since no recruitments have taken place for the past two years. As per the data presented by the government in Parliament in December, of the total of 11,35,799 Junior Commissioned Officers and Other Ranks in the Army, 97,177 are vacant. Similarly, there are 63,515 posts of sailors in the Navy and a shortage of 11,166 while there are 1,38,792 Airmen posts in the IAF of which 4,850 are vacant.

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