Female Agniveers begin Indian army training - in pictures

Fresh cadets from the Rashtriya Military School are put through their paces on the eve of International Women's Day

The first batch of female cadets 'Agniveer' of the Rashtriya Military School (RMS) attend a training session open for media on the eve of the International Women's Day, at the RMS, in Bangalore, India, 07 March 2023. The Rashtriya Military School (RMS) has enrolled the first batch of around 100 female cadets who will join 31 weeks of training, after which 33 percent of them will be sent to army base and remaining in different places for four years and then some will get a chance to serve in the army. The RMS, an institution established by the Indian Army and run under the aegis of Ministry of Defence, is one of the premier residential public schools. EPA / JAGADEESH NV

The training session was held on the eve of International Women's Day

The cadets form part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Agnipath' (fire path) programme

The four-year programme aims to transform the cadets into a disciplined force

Enrolling in the programme does not guarantee the cadets automatic entry into the army

After training, cadets are free to join any sector they choose

Once training ends, a quarter of the interested cadets will be chosen to join the Indian Armed Forces

The programme was launched in June 2022 to help young Indians find work

One of the reasons for its creation was to counter the large numbers of soldiers leaving the army

The programme seeks to recruit cadets between 17 and a half years old and 21 years old

The programme is also open to male candidates

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