Nearly half of Indian states are seething as youth protest against the Agnipath scheme—a controversial Indian military recruitment policy that not only aims to reduce the country's burgeoning salary and pension bills, but also seeks to integrate younger and fitter troops into its armed forces.

The policy is applicable to the Air Force, Navy, and Army and was approved recently by the Cabinet Committee on Security headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It will take effect immediately.

Soldiers recruited through this process will be referred to as 'Agniveers.' Around 46,000 troops are expected to be recruited this year.

However, the scheme has been met with severe criticism from aspirants and experts.

What is Agnipath Scheme?

Agnipath Scheme is a recruitment process undertaken by the Indian armed forces where 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 the recruits will be retained for regular service.

The upper age limit has now been increased to 23 only for this year due to two-year hiring hiatus that took place following the Covid pandemic.

The new recruitment scheme of soldiers in the Army, Navy and Air Force has been projected by the government as a major overhaul of the decades-old selection process to enhance the youthful profile of the three services.

After the scheme was rolled out, the Army said it would ensure an enhanced youthful profile of the force and result in a "reduction in the average age from 32 to 26 years over a period of time.

Watch |&nbsp;Agnipath: India revamps military recruitment - Know eligibility, service &amp; other details

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The Agniveers will get a monthly salary of Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000, with the 75% of them who get demobilised after four years getting a ‘Seva Nidhi’ exit package of Rs 1.71 million, half of which will be through their own contributions.

The remaining 25 per cent will be inducted into the regular cadres of the armed forces to serve another 15 years.

What was the need for a new recruitment policy?

For years, India’s defence budget has heavily tilted towards the revenue component, leaving less funds to buy weapons and modernisation of armed forces with cutting-edge technologies.

Similarly, salary paid to the forces has also been increasing over the years.

With the new scheme, the government aims to slash the ballooning salary and pension bills, which take up almost half of the annual defence budget. The government hopes to have more money for military modernisation with infusion of cutting-edge technologies.

The ploughing back of skilled, disciplined, motivated and patriotic Agniveers into civil society after the four-year military service, would prove to be a great asset and a “win-win proposition” for the nation, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said.

So why are people protesting?

The primary concern among the protesters is that most recruits will be limited to four years of service, making 75% of them ineligible for pensions.

It is also being criticised for failing to provide recruits with permanent jobs or healthcare benefits after they retire.

According to the news agency PTI, Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia (retired) believes the Agnipath scheme, also known as the Tour of Duty (ToD) scheme, will spell the end of the armed forces.

"ToD was not tested, there was no pilot project, and it was simply implemented. Will also lead to the militarization of society, with almost 40,000 (75%) youth returning year after year, rejected and dejected, semi-trained in arms ex-Agniveers. This is not a good idea. No one benefits." He said.

What is the reaction of the opposition?

The opposition parties chastised the government, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urging the prime minister to listen to the voice of unemployed youth and not take 'agnipareeksha (trial by fire)' of their patience by making them walk on Agnipath.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav called the move "negligent" and potentially "fatal" for the country's future.

Communist Party (Maoist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said, "The Agnipath scheme does disservice to national interests. This scheme, to save pension money, severely compromises quality and efficiency of our professional armed forces."

CPI general secretary D Raja said, "Finding jobs has become literally a path of fire under Modi."

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to the Centre to give the youth the chance to “serve the country throughout their life”.

(With inputs from agencies)

Nearly half of Indian states are seething as youth protest against the Agnipath scheme—a controversial Indian military recruitment policy that not only aims to reduce the country's burgeoning salary and pension bills, but also seeks to integrate younger and fitter troops into its armed forces.

Nearly half of Indian states are seething as youth protest against the Agnipath scheme—a controversial Indian military recruitment policy that not only aims to reduce the country's burgeoning salary and pension bills, but also seeks to integrate younger and fitter troops into its armed forces. The policy is applicable to the Air Force, Navy, and Army and was approved recently by the Cabinet Committee on Security headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It will take effect immediately. Soldiers recruited through this process will be referred to as 'Agniveers.' Around 46,000 troops are expected to be recruited this year. However, the scheme has been met with severe criticism from aspirants and experts. What is Agnipath Scheme? Agnipath Scheme is a recruitment process undertaken by the Indian armed forces where 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 the recruits will be retained for regular service. The upper age limit has now been increased to 23 only for this year due to two-year hiring hiatus that took place following the Covid pandemic. The new recruitment scheme of soldiers in the Army, Navy and Air Force has been projected by the government as a major overhaul of the decades-old selection process to enhance the youthful profile of the three services. After the scheme was rolled out, the Army said it would ensure an enhanced youthful profile of the force and result in a "reduction in the average age from 32 to 26 years over a period of time. Watch | Agnipath: India revamps military recruitment - Know eligibility, service & other details The Agniveers will get a monthly salary of Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000, with the 75% of them who get demobilised after four years getting a ‘Seva Nidhi’ exit package of Rs 1.71 million, half of which will be through their own contributions. The remaining 25 per cent will be inducted into the regular cadres of the armed forces to serve another 15 years. What was the need for a new recruitment policy? For years, India’s defence budget has heavily tilted towards the revenue component, leaving less funds to buy weapons and modernisation of armed forces with cutting-edge technologies. Similarly, salary paid to the forces has also been increasing over the years. With the new scheme, the government aims to slash the ballooning salary and pension bills, which take up almost half of the annual defence budget. The government hopes to have more money for military modernisation with infusion of cutting-edge technologies. The ploughing back of skilled, disciplined, motivated and patriotic Agniveers into civil society after the four-year military service, would prove to be a great asset and a “win-win proposition” for the nation, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said. So why are people protesting? The primary concern among the protesters is that most recruits will be limited to four years of service, making 75% of them ineligible for pensions. It is also being criticised for failing to provide recruits with permanent jobs or healthcare benefits after they retire. According to the news agency PTI, Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia (retired) believes the Agnipath scheme, also known as the Tour of Duty (ToD) scheme, will spell the end of the armed forces. "ToD was not tested, there was no pilot project, and it was simply implemented. Will also lead to the militarization of society, with almost 40,000 (75%) youth returning year after year, rejected and dejected, semi-trained in arms ex-Agniveers. This is not a good idea. No one benefits." He said. What is the reaction of the opposition? The opposition parties chastised the government, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urging the prime minister to listen to the voice of unemployed youth and not take 'agnipareeksha (trial by fire)' of their patience by making them walk on Agnipath. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav called the move "negligent" and potentially "fatal" for the country's future. Communist Party (Maoist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said, "The Agnipath scheme does disservice to national interests. This scheme, to save pension money, severely compromises quality and efficiency of our professional armed forces." CPI general secretary D Raja said, "Finding jobs has become literally a path of fire under Modi." Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to the Centre to give the youth the chance to “serve the country throughout their life”. (With inputs from agencies)

Agnipath row: Why are youngsters protesting against India's controversial military recruitment scheme?

Trains were burnt and highways blocked as Indian youth protested the government's new military recruitment scheme. What explains the opposition to Agnipath? Is it time for Indians to rethink their obsession with government jobs? Palki Sharma tells you.

Gravitas: Indian youth protest Agnipath recruitment scheme

A move by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government to change the recruitment process of the Indian Armed forces, called Agnipath Scheme, triggered massive outrage among the aspirant youngsters across India. Trains were burnt, rail and roads were blocked and infrastructures were vandalised opposing the recruitment scheme that seeks to hire soldiers for a short term. The protesters are unhappy with the changes, particularly the length of service, no pension provisions for those released early, and the 17.5 to 21-year age restriction that now makes many of them ineligible. A video of the youths raising the slogans and vandalising the Ballia-Varanasi Memu and Ballia-Shahganj trains has gone viral.&nbsp;Several parts of India&nbsp;witnessed protests over the new military recruitment policy.&nbsp;

The protests have&nbsp;spread to BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. The agitation began with the BJP-ruled state of Bihar, where the house of Deputy Chief Minister Renu Devi&nbsp;was attacked, and then spread across other states like&nbsp;Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh&nbsp;and Telangana.

In a bid to assuage the concerns of the aspirants, the central government on Thursday a two-year relaxation in the upper age limit for this year since there was no recruitment “during the last two years”.

The defence ministry said that “the upper age limit for the recruitment process for Agnipath scheme for 2022 is increased to 23 years” only.

Top ministers have assured the aspirants that the new policy would be&nbsp;highly beneficial for them.&nbsp;In a tweet on Friday, Home Minister Amit Shah said the recruitment process in the Army had been affected for the last two years due to the coronavirus pandemic and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken a sensitive decision by showing concern for the youth of the country.

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also called it a "transformative" scheme.

“For the last two years, young people didn't get the opportunity to get inducted into the Armed forces due to no recruitment process. Hence, the government has decided to increase the upper age limit from 21 years to 23 years. It's a one-time relaxation,” Singh&nbsp;told ANI news agency.

But the one-time relaxation failed to pacify the agitators who have been continuing to hold demonstrations across the country.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a> | Telangana: Secunderabad railway station vandalised and a train set ablaze by agitators who are protesting against <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AgnipathRecruitmentScheme?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AgnipathRecruitmentScheme</a>. <a href="https://t.co/2llzyfT4XG">pic.twitter.com/2llzyfT4XG</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1537659645174501377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The government has also issued a 'Myth vs Facts' document to address the concerns raised about the scheme.

The government's information dissemination arm issued a series of social media posts in its support.

"The scheme will bring in new dynamism to the armed forces. It will help the forces bring in new capabilities and take advantage of the technical skills and fresh thinking of the youths... It will allow the youths to serve the nation," the Press Information Bureau said in a Facebook post.

What is Agnipath Scheme?

This scheme entails a recruitment process for individuals below the rank of officer, with the goal of deploying fitter, younger troops on the front lines, many of whom will be on four-year contracts. It's a game-changing project that will give the Army, Navy, and Air Force a more young image.

Around &nbsp;46,000 youths, aged between 17 and a half and 21, will be recruited into the three services in a contract for four years.

Under the scheme, a financial package of around Rs 11 million (US $14,000 approx.) will be given to each of the recruits at the end of the four-year tenure from the 'Seva Nidhi Package' to provide financial independence to the youth and even help them venture into entrepreneurship.

Under the scheme, only 25 per cent of them will be allowed to continue their job for another 15 years under permanent commission. &nbsp;Since the number of permanently recruited soldiers will diminish, this plan is expected to reduce the defence pension bill, which has been a growing concern for the government for many years.

Why are students protesting?

They claim that the short length of service would render them unemployment after their term ends in the Armed forces. But the government has said that those whose services aren’t extended would be recruited for other government departments.

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Indian youth protest Agnipath recruitment scheme

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-indian-youth-protest-agnipath-recruitment-scheme-488921/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

A move by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government to change the recruitment process of the Indian Armed forces, called Agnipath Scheme, triggered massive outrage among the aspirant youngsters across India.

A move by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government to change the recruitment process of the Indian Armed forces, called Agnipath Scheme, triggered massive outrage among the aspirant youngsters across India. Trains were burnt, rail and roads were blocked and infrastructures were vandalised opposing the recruitment scheme that seeks to hire soldiers for a short term. The protesters are unhappy with the changes, particularly the length of service, no pension provisions for those released early, and the 17.5 to 21-year age restriction that now makes many of them ineligible. A video of the youths raising the slogans and vandalising the Ballia-Varanasi Memu and Ballia-Shahganj trains has gone viral. Several parts of India witnessed protests over the new military recruitment policy. The protests have spread to BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. The agitation began with the BJP-ruled state of Bihar, where the house of Deputy Chief Minister Renu Devi was attacked, and then spread across other states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana. In a bid to assuage the concerns of the aspirants, the central government on Thursday a two-year relaxation in the upper age limit for this year since there was no recruitment “during the last two years”. The defence ministry said that “the upper age limit for the recruitment process for Agnipath scheme for 2022 is increased to 23 years” only. Top ministers have assured the aspirants that the new policy would be highly beneficial for them. In a tweet on Friday, Home Minister Amit Shah said the recruitment process in the Army had been affected for the last two years due to the coronavirus pandemic and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken a sensitive decision by showing concern for the youth of the country. Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also called it a "transformative" scheme. “For the last two years, young people didn't get the opportunity to get inducted into the Armed forces due to no recruitment process. Hence, the government has decided to increase the upper age limit from 21 years to 23 years. It's a one-time relaxation,” Singh told ANI news agency. But the one-time relaxation failed to pacify the agitators who have been continuing to hold demonstrations across the country. #WATCH | Telangana: Secunderabad railway station vandalised and a train set ablaze by agitators who are protesting against #AgnipathRecruitmentScheme. pic.twitter.com/2llzyfT4XG — ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2022 × The government has also issued a 'Myth vs Facts' document to address the concerns raised about the scheme. The government's information dissemination arm issued a series of social media posts in its support. "The scheme will bring in new dynamism to the armed forces. It will help the forces bring in new capabilities and take advantage of the technical skills and fresh thinking of the youths... It will allow the youths to serve the nation," the Press Information Bureau said in a Facebook post. What is Agnipath Scheme? This scheme entails a recruitment process for individuals below the rank of officer, with the goal of deploying fitter, younger troops on the front lines, many of whom will be on four-year contracts. It's a game-changing project that will give the Army, Navy, and Air Force a more young image. Around 46,000 youths, aged between 17 and a half and 21, will be recruited into the three services in a contract for four years. Under the scheme, a financial package of around Rs 11 million (US $14,000 approx.) will be given to each of the recruits at the end of the four-year tenure from the 'Seva Nidhi Package' to provide financial independence to the youth and even help them venture into entrepreneurship. Under the scheme, only 25 per cent of them will be allowed to continue their job for another 15 years under permanent commission. Since the number of permanently recruited soldiers will diminish, this plan is expected to reduce the defence pension bill, which has been a growing concern for the government for many years. Why are students protesting? They claim that the short length of service would render them unemployment after their term ends in the Armed forces. But the government has said that those whose services aren’t extended would be recruited for other government departments. Watch | Gravitas: Indian youth protest Agnipath recruitment scheme

Agnipath: Indian military recruitment scheme sparks protests; trains burnt, infra vandalised

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