Bhubaneswar: Chief Secretary Anu Garg chaired a high-level meeting at Lok Seva Bhawan today to review and boost registrations for the Indian Army’s Agniveer recruitment 2026, amid concerns over low participation from Odisha youths.
The session focused on strategies to widely publicize the recruitment drive, simplify online registration, and motivate young men and women to join the armed forces. Key participants included Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary Deo Ranjan Kumar Singh, Higher Education Commissioner-cum-Secretary Aravind Agrawal, Director of Technical Education Chakravarti Singh Rathore, Army Recruitment Office (ARO) Cuttack officials, and virtual attendance by all district collectors.
Officials noted that while national Agniveer recruitment sees strong response, Odisha’s numbers remain low, limiting the state’s allocated posts per rules. Data from the past decade and current status were reviewed: As of March 5, 2026, only 6,044 youth from Odisha have registered on joinindianarmy.nic.in since the portal opened on February 13 (closing April 1, 2026). Registrations break down as 1,770 from northern districts, 2,583 from coastal areas, and 1,691 from southern districts.
In 2025-26, 8,664 Odia candidates qualified the entrance exam, with 1,477 appointed as Agniveers. The meeting highlighted inspiring cases like siblings Gaurav Sarojini Das, Sattawan Ban Das, and Manaswini Das from one family who joined the Army.
Leveraging Odisha’s strong sports culture, opportunities for certificate-holding athletes were emphasized. With less than a month left, departments including Skill Development, Higher Education, School & Mass Education, and Panchayati Raj were directed to maximize outreach.
Plans include extensive publicity via social media, print, electronic channels, WhatsApp groups, college/ITIs campaigns, Sena rallies, and awareness programs. Assistance at tehsil-level kiosks, Mo Seva/Common Service Centers, and video conferences by AROs with colleges was advised. District-level reviews, data entry operator involvement, and training by ARO were recommended to surge registrations and enhance state representation in the Army.
