Indore: Devi Ahilya University in Indore has decided to provide a full tuition fee waiver to former Agniveers to support their pursuit of higher education and better employment opportunities, a senior university official said on Tuesday.

No cap has been set for this waiver, and all eligible former Agniveers will benefit from it, the government-run university's Vice Chancellor Dr Rakesh Singhai told PTI.

He said Agniveers must have completed four years of service to be eligible, and that those dismissed or subjected to disciplinary action during service will not qualify for the tuition fee waiver.

Agniveers are recruited in the armed forces under the Agnipath scheme, a short-term engagement designed for present-day national security needs.

Singhai said, "Agniveers, who protect the country, spend four golden years of their lives in the army and are often unable to continue their studies. We want them to complete their higher education after serving in the military, find good employment, and start a new life."

The university's Executive Council has decided that if former Agniveers are successful in enrolling in any of the nearly 200 courses offered by the institution, they will be provided with a 100 per cent tuition fee waiver, the official said.

In the future, the university may consider providing reservation to former Agniveers in the admission process, and may also develop special courses for them, he said.

Children of serving personnel from all three wings of the armed forces are already given a 50 per cent concession in the university's tuition fees, while children of martyrs and retired soldiers are entitled to a 100 per cent concession, the VC informed.

The university was established by the Madhya Pradesh government in 1964.

This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.