Opinion | Mathematics of the Agnipath scheme

The Indian armed forces are going through a major churn. The new recruitment scheme called Agnipath has led to violent protests in various parts of India.

But before we tell you the reason for these demonstrations, let’s first understand what the scheme is, what the government has offered and how the Indian army will benefit if at all.

Agnipath is a recruitment scheme for personnel who are below officer rank. The scheme aims to enrol youths who will be called ‘agniveers’ for four years. After completion of their tenure, only 25% will be retained in the regular cadre, the remaining 75% will be demobilised with an exit package.

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The Indian government has listed a slew of advantages of the new scheme, primarily with a focus on how it will reduce defence pensions in the armed forces and cut the ballooning salary. It aims to bring down the average age in the armed forces to 26 by the end of 2030 by having fitter, younger and trainable troops.

Apart from this, the money that will be saved through this scheme will be used for the modernisation of the Indian army and more usage of technology.

However, despite the advantages listed, there are scores of protests that have erupted in various cities demanding a rollback of the scheme which hires soldiers for a fixed four-year term. Most of them assert on how the new recruitment scheme does not offer security for a government job nor does it provide retirement benefits like pension.

They are also complaining about how the new scheme hinders their claim for monetary benefits since the centre plans to absorb only 25 per cent of agniveers after the completion of their 4-year tenure.

Meanwhile, as the stir continues the Indian army has issued a notification relating to the first round of recruitment the registration for which will start in July, it has further clarified that the recruitment process will remain unchanged and the traditional regimentation system in the Indian military will continue.

However not all in the armed forces are happy with the scheme, a lot of veterans have expressed concerns over the recruitment plan highlighting how the scheme will reduce camaraderie within the regiments and adversely impact the armed forces’ organisational ethos which is the bedrock of fighting arms and comradeship under the banner ‘Naam, Namak our Nishan’.

A lot of retired army personnel have suggested that the troops that are recruited through this scheme should be inducted in what is described as non-combat arms; troops under this arm do not take part in direct hostilities.

While it is imperative to have a youthful profile in the forces, a radical recruitment plan like this should have been a pilot project which could have been assessed and then implemented across the board.

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

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