Youth cannot suffer: Congress chief writes to Indian president on 'Agnipath' scheme

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday (Feb 26) wrote to Indian President Droupadi Murmu on the central government's Agnipath scheme — an initiative for the youth to join the armed forces on short-term basis. Kharge said he was writing the letter to President Murmu to highlight the gross injustice to almost 200,000 young men and women whose futures have become uncertain due to the ending of the regular recruitment process and imposing the scheme.

There had been widespread protests in June 2022 after the launch of the Agnipath scheme but since then many youths have already joined the armed forces as Agniveers. The Congress president's letter to President Murmu comes at a time when general elections in India are just a couple of months away.

“Recently I met them and they told me that between 2019 and 2022, almost two lakh young men and women were informed that they had been accepted into the three armed services: the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force," Kharge said.

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"These young men and women had struggled against all odds to pass gruelling mental and physical tests and a written exam. Until 31 May 2022, they believed that they had fulfilled their dreams and were awaiting only their joining letters. On that day, their dreams were shattered by the Government of India's decision to end this recruitment process and replace it with the Agnipath Scheme," he added.

'Scheme is discriminatory'

Kharge told Murmu that the scheme is discriminatory "among our jawans by creating parallel cadres of soldiers who are expected to work on similar tasks but with very different emoluments, benefits and prospects." The Congress chief added that the majority of Agniveers (the beneficiaries of the scheme) would be released into an uncertain job market after four years of service.

"Our youth cannot be allowed to suffer in this manner. I appeal to you to ensure that NYAY and justice is done,” he added.

The Agnipath scheme was rolled out by the central government in June 2022 for short-term induction of the youth into the armed forces. The scheme provides for recruiting youth between the ages of 17.2 and 21 for a service of four years with a provision to retain 25 per cent of the Agniveers for 15 more years.

Some of the broad objectives of the scheme are:to enhance the youthful profile of the armed forces so that they are at their fighting best at all times with increased risk-taking ability; to provide abilities and qualities such as discipline, dynamism, motivation and work-skills so that the youth remain an asset; and to imbibe the armed forces' ethos, courage, camaraderie, commitment and teamwork in the youth.

According to Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande, the scheme was finalised after extensive consultations.

Congress hits out at Centre over scheme

Apart from Mallikarjun Kharge, other Congress leaders also criticised the central government over the scheme. "Approximately 150,000 people who qualified all the phases of the Army recruitment process, their joining was denied after Covid. Today, they are unemployed... Then, you came up with the Agnipath scheme, even the defence experts are against this scheme... You played with the nation's security and with the youth's future," Congress leader Pawan Khera told the news agency ANI.

Congress leader Sachin Pilot, meanwhile, said that the scheme was implemented in a hurry.

"Completely stopping the previous process of recruitment in the Army and conducting all the recruitments only through Agnipath, keeping only 25% of the total recruitments after 4 years and retiring the whole 75% is not at all a positive step for the Army," Pilot told ANI.

(With inputs from agencies)