Ruling out any rollback of the 'Agnipath' recruitment scheme in view of widespread protests, the Army, Navy and the Air Force on Sunday came out with a broad schedule of enrolment of soldiers under the new policy and asserted that it is the only "progressive" step to bring down the age profile of the three services.

Lt Gen Anil Puri, Additional Secretary in the Department of Military Affairs, said at a tri-services press conference that anyone involved in protests, arson and vandalism against the scheme would not qualify to join the three services under the new model.

He also said that supportive measures announced in the last few days for the recruits under the scheme were not initiated because of the protests and arson and that the government was already working on them as part of overall measures to ensure employment for those who exit the services after the four-year stint.

"Why should it be rolled back? It is the only progressive step to making the armed forces young. It is a question of protecting the country," Lt Gen Puri said.

The Army on Sunday released the terms and conditions as well as guidelines for the new recruitment process while the IAF too came out with a detailed document.

The announcement of the scheme on Tuesday triggered violent protests in several parts of the country, with agitating defence job aspirants demanding its rollback citing only four-year tenure for 75 per cent of the recruits under it.

The additional secretary said the "major reform initiative" to bring down their age profile was introduced after years of deliberations and studying the recruitment process in several countries, adding even the high-level committee on the 1999 Kargil War had made suggestions on it.

"We had detailed deliberations on making forces young. We studied the recruitment process and tenures of soldiers in several countries. We want young people as they are risk-takers. They have passion, 'josh aur hosh' in equal proportions," Lt Gen Puri said.

He said the Army has been trying to bring down its age profile for over 33 years.

Referring to the COVID-19 pandemic stalling the recruitment process in the last two years, Lt Gen Puri described the announcement of the 'Agnipath' scheme as an opportunity given by the "God and the nature" to ensure a younger military.

The media briefing at the headquarters of the defence ministry took place hours after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting with the chiefs of the Army, Navy and the Air Force for the second straight day.

"There is no space for indiscipline in the armed forces. There is no space for arson and violence. All those who want to become part of the armed forces under the 'Agnipath' scheme will have to give a certificate that they were not part of any arson," Lt Gen Puri said.

He said the age profile of the armed forces would come down to 26 from 32 years with its implementation.

To a question on whether the armed forces anticipated the protests, he said it was not anticipated as it is not the job of the services. "It is a law and order issue."

The recruitment under the scheme will be gradual with the induction in the first year would be two per cent of the total strength of the military which could go up to 10 per cent by the end of four years.

He said the number of annual recruits in the next four years would be in the range of 50,000 to 60,000 while it could reach 90,000 to 1.2 lakh in the subsequent years.

Giving details of the Navy's plan to induct 'Agniveers' under the scheme, Vice Admiral (Personnel) Dinesh Tripathi said the naval headquarters will come out with broad guidelines for the recruitment by June 25 and the steps for the recruitment would start within a month.

The first batch of recruits will join the training programme at INS Chilka in Odisha by November 21, he said, adding the Navy is recruiting both men and women as 'Agniveers' under the scheme.

INS Chilka is a training facility of the Indian Navy.

About the Indian Air Force's plan for induction under the Agnipath scheme, Air Officer-in-Charge Personnel Air Marshall S K Jha said the registration process will start on June 24 and the process for online examination for phase one of the recruitment process will begin on July 24.

"We are planning to start the training for the first batch of recruits by December 30," Air Marshall Jha said.

About the Army's recruitment plan, Adjutant General Lt Gen Bansi Ponappa said the Army will issue a draft notification on Monday and subsequent notifications will be issued by various recruitment units of the force from July 1 onwards.

Recruitment rallies will take place across India in August, September and October, he said.

Lt Gen Ponappa said the first batch comprising 25,000 personnel will join the training programme in the first and second weeks of December. The second lot of recruits will join their training around February next year.

He said a total of 83 recruitment rallies will be organised across the country to select around 40,000 personnel.

"All states will be covered. We will endeavour to reach out to every village in the country," Lt Gen Ponappa said.

Referring to the exit of 75 per cent of 'Agniveers' after the four-year tenure, Lt Gen Puri said around 17,600 personnel take premature retirement annually from the three services.

"It is not that exit will take place only under Agnipath scheme...," he said.

He said that the report by the Kargil Review Committee said that a large number of soldiers were in their 30s and officers were getting command postings not on time, adding the growing age profile of the forces was "worrisome".

Unveiling the scheme on Tuesday, the government said youths between the ages of 17 and-a-half and 21 years would be inducted for a four-year tenure while 25 per cent of them will be subsequently inducted for regular service.

Those recruited under the new scheme would be called 'Agniveer'.

In an attempt to pacify the protesters, the government on Thursday night increased the upper age limit for recruitment under the 'Agnipath' scheme to 23 years from 21 for the year 2022.

The announcement of the new scheme came in the backdrop of recruitments into the military remaining stalled over the coronavirus pandemic for over two years.

The Army annually recruit 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers annually. However, the recruitment could not take place for the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.