As we are seeing in the ongoing Ukraine war, defence forces have to be modernised, besides maintaining their youthful profile. Agnipath is one such step towards that
Indian Army troops. ANI
Born in Hosdurg, a small village in northern Kerala, it was my ambition right from childhood to join the armed forces. I had no guidance as to which services to join or what educational field to choose to achieve my goal. But I continued self-training by running every day for 5 km, taking push-ups and pull-ups, and keeping myself updated on current affairs.
As luck would have it, my first tenure in the forces was in Nagaland for nearly three-and-a-half years and later for one year in Sri Lanka as part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF). Then I got posted to Samba on the Jammu border. When you get an opportunity to wear the uniform and serve the nation, it is the pride of serving the country that comes first rather than the self, salary, service tenure or pension.
The army teaches you to become a disciplined soldier. Once you leave your family and join the army, the unit becomes your second home, and fellow jawans, officers and their families become your extended family members.
When I joined the Army I had no intention to continue my entire tenure of 20 years. I just wanted to have a feel of wearing the uniform and serving the nation for five years. Today, when I look at the Agnipath recruitment scheme, which has recently been introduced by the defence forces, I am of the opinion that it offers excellent opportunities for those who want to serve the nation. With the announcement of this scheme, a window of opportunity has been opened for the youth to serve their nation for a period of four years, wherein selected candidates will be enrolled as Agniveers for four years. On completion of the four-year period, 25 per cent of them would be absorbed in the military, while the remaining 75 per cent would go back to the society as a disciplined, dynamic, motivated, and skilled workforce for employment in sectors of their choice.
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The Agnipath scheme is a transformative initiative that will provide a youthful profile to the armed forces, a need that was felt after the Kargil war. Post Kargil, this scheme was discussed and debated at every level and finally at the service chief level before being introduced. It’s important to keep in mind the threat perception, the need for maintaining the youthful profile of our forces, and the aspirations of youth at all levels.
The defence forces said, “We need youth in the forces. They take risks. We need an ideal mix of josh and hosh to make our forces battle-ready.” They added that today’s youth are tech-savvy and best suited for modern warfare and future drone-related warfare.
The good news is that 70 per cent of the Agniveers selection will be from villages. Educational qualifications remain 10th passed with age 17.5 years 21 years — for the first year, an age relaxation of two years has been given.
Agniveers will be given an attractive customised monthly package along with risk and hardship allowances, as applicable in the three services. The salary for Agniveers in the first year will be around Rs 4.76 lakh per annum, which increases to Rs 6.92 lakh per annum during the final year.
On completion of four years, Agniveers will be paid a one-time ‘Seva Nidhi’ package of Rs 11.71 lakh which shall comprise their contribution including accrued interest thereon and matching contribution from the government equal to the accumulated amount of their contribution including interest.
Paramilitary, state governments, PSUs, banks and many corporate sectors have come forward to accommodate the retiring Agniveers after four years. Let us not forget that the present government has allowed, under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat policy, the private sectors to indigenously produce more than 200 defence products. These private organisations need a highly disciplined and technical workforce; Agniveers will be easily absorbed there.
My sincere advice to the youth indulging in arson and violence is that your chances to get absorbed in the defence forces become weak, as police verification is mandatory for every recruitment to the armed forces. If your police report becomes negative, then it is very difficult to get into the forces even for four years.
The prospective Agniveers, hence, should maintain peace and have faith in the self and the system. Once a soldier is always a soldier. Age, retirement and pension do not matter when you offer your services to Bharat Mata. As we are seeing in the ongoing Ukraine war, defence forces have to be modernised, besides maintaining their youthful profile. Agnipath is one such step towards that.
The writer is former Comptroller of President’s House during Dr APJ Abdul Kalam’s time, and former Advisor to Minister of State Defence. Views expressed are personal.
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