The main objective of the Agnipath scheme is to make the forces leaner and fitter and give the youth a possibility to serve the country both as soldiers as well as civilians
The Agnipath scheme is a transformational reform for the Army and the nation that was long overdue. The Kargil War Commission had way back in 1999 recommended the need to drastically reduce the overall average age of the armed forces and Agnipath seeks to do precisely that, besides bringing a paradigm shift in the human resource management of the Indian Army. The Agnipath allows patriotic and motivated youth to serve in the armed forces for a period of 4 years. A youthful profile of the army will provide a fresh lease of ‘Josh and Jazba’ while bringing about a transformational shift towards a more technical savvy armed forces, which is the need of the hour. There will not be any compromise on the standards that the armed forces apply in ensuring the minimum physical, medical and professional parameters for new recruits.
During the implementation and stabilisation of the scheme, the army’s operational capabilities and preparedness will be fully maintained. The army will continue to retain its rich legacy, history, traditions, military values and culture, based on the principles of cohesiveness, camaraderie, Esprit-
de-Corps and the core ethos of “Naam, Namak and Nishan”. It is envisaged that the average age profile of Indian armed forces would come down from 32 years to 26 years by the implementation of this scheme. The dividends of a short military service to the nation, society and the youth of the nation are immense. This includes the inculcation of patriotism, team work, enhancement of physical fitness, ingrained loyalty for the country and availability of trained personnel to boost national security in times of external threats, internal threats and natural disasters.
After the end of the term, they will be able to apply for permanent jobs in the armed forces, and 25 per cent of them will be inducted. After the four-year service period, Agniveers who are not absorbed in regular commission will be paid a one-time ‘SevaNidhi’ package amounting to Rs 11.71 lakh. They will also get preference in PSUs, and state governments’ jobs, and state and Central police forces. While the Opposition parties and even some army veterans have criticised the scheme, the fact is that such short service for soldiers was suggested over two decades ago, in the Kargil Review Committee report.
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The committee had also recommended an integrated manpower policy for armed forces, paramilitary forces and the Central police forces. The report had further said, “The Army must be young and fit at all times. Therefore, instead of the present practice of having 17 years of colour service (as has been the policy since 1976), it would be advisable to reduce the colour service to a period of seven to ten years and, thereafter, release these officers and men for service in the country’s para-military formations.”
The committee formed after the Kargil war had suggested that after the end of the service period, they can be absorbed in regular police forces or in a “National Service Corps (or a National Conservation Corps), as provided for under Article 5 lA(d) of the Constitution, to spearhead a range of land and water conservation and physical and social infrastructure development.” The committee had observed that this will reduce the age profile of the army and the paramilitary forces and also reduce pension costs and other entitlements such as married quarters and educational facilities. In this year’s budget, Rs 5.25 lakh crore has been allocated for defence, out of which roughly Rs 1.2 lakh crore is allocated for pensions which means, almost 23 per cent of defence budget is spent on retirement benefits alone.
The army pension has gone up sharply after the implementation of the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme. While cost reduction is just a byproduct of the Agnipath scheme, why should anyone have a problem with cost cutting, as long as the quality of our forces is not compromised? Also, spending disproportionately on pension means that very little is left for modernisation including procurement of modern arms and equipment systems. Under the Agnipath scheme, candidates between the age of 17.5 years and 21 years will be recruited as Angiveers, and as they will serve for only 4 years, the maximum age of an Angiveer will be 25 years. Thus, the soldiers will remain young and fit in their entire term of service.
While 25 per cent of the Agniveers recruited under Agnipath scheme will be absorbed into regular commission and promoted to higher ranks based on merit and service criteria, the rest 75 per cent will be given preference in government and PSU jobs. Apart from state and Central police forces, the retired Agniveers will also be valuable manpower in Central and state disaster response forces and similar jobs requiring physical fitness. Those who wish to work will be given priority in CAPFs, police, Assam Rifles and police and allied forces in several States. So while 75 per cent of the youth will no longer be with the Army after four years of service, they will certainly find gainful employment in various spheres in the government and private sector. Around 45,000-50,000 Agniveers will be recruited every year, which means substantial savings in pensions under the under Agnipath scheme. The amount saved could in turn be used for enhancing capital expenditure in the defence sector, rather than spending on revenue expenditure alone.
Not just the Kargil committee, the Indian Army had also proposed a recruitment scheme similar to Agnipath to save on manpower cost. In 2020, the Army had proposed a “tour of duty” (TOD) scheme to recruit youth for three years, instead of 17 years currently. At least 10 per cent reservation of jobs for Agniveers in Indian Coast Guard, Defence Civilian posts and 16 DPSUs for those meeting requisite eligibility criteria has been announced. The 16 Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) are Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) Limited, Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL), Mishra Dhatu Nigam (Midhani) Limited, Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVNL), Advanced Weapons & Equipment India Ltd. (AW&EIL), Munitions India Limited (MIL), Yantra India Limited (YIL), Gliders India Limited (GIL), India Optel Limited (IOL) and Troop Comforts Limited (TCL). This reservation would be in addition to existing reservations for ex-servicemen. Necessary amendments to relevant recruitment rules will be undertaken to implement these provisions. Necessary age relaxation provisions will also be made.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has decided to reserve 10 per cent vacancies for recruitment in CAPFs and Assam Rifles for Agniveers, completing four years under the Agnipath scheme. The MHA also decided to give a 3-year age relaxation beyond the prescribed upper age limit, to Agniveers for recruitment in CAPFs & Assam Rifles. Further, for the first batch of Agniveers, the age relaxation will be for 5 years beyond the prescribed upper age limit. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) has announced six attractive service opportunities for Agniveers from the Indian Navy, for smooth transition into the highly skilled and remunerative Merchant Navy.
The Indian military is currently undergoing a fundamental transformation. These changes are made possible primarily due to the creation, in December 2019, of the post of a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) by the Modi government, with Gen Bipin Rawat appointed as the first CDS, also making him the head of a newly created Department of Military Affairs. General Rawat, who died in a chopper crash in 2021, had also been given the mandate to create joint theatre commands. This pleasantly surprised military reformists, with Admiral Arun Prakash calling it “the most significant development in the national security domain since Independence”. The Department of Military Affairs, perhaps without parallel among democracies, was created to address longstanding complaints against the civilian bureaucracy. Accordingly, 23 sections along with 160 civilian staff were transferred to this office — empowering the CDS on issues pertaining to officer promotions, defence planning, and inter-services prioritisation, among others.
India’s military, the world’s fourth largest, has a proud tradition of being under firm civilian control. To be sure, there were some reforms after the 1999 Kargil war. However, structural weaknesses remained. It did not help that, in the ten years of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s tenure (2004-14), defence reforms were not a priority and civil-military relations were reportedly not at their very best. Going by data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, India has the distinction of being among the world’s largest arms importer over the last four decades. Under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, the Modi government has, in a very public way, prioritised defence production. Despite opposition from labour unions, the government has boldly gone ahead with politically contentious issues like the corporatisation of ordnance factories.
Perhaps the biggest achievement has been a mindset change engineered within the military and in the defence industry, toward working harmoniously with each other. Now these stakeholders are encouraged to work together and the private sector is no longer imagined as a den of vice. The government has also pushed the defence industry to focus on exports, which, according to one count, has grown by over 700 per cent from 2016 to 2019, alone. The third element of transformation is in the field of military diplomacy. Previous Congress regimes in New Delhi were hesitant, and unsure, about the proper place of military in foreign policy, with the military left second-guessing its roles and priorities. However, under the Modi government, the Indian military is more open to engaging with its counterparts and like-minded partners, whether with the Quad countries or further afield.
In the final analysis, the Agnipath scheme is certainly well thought-out. As the service chiefs pointed out, this was in discussion for almost two years and thereafter it has come, after deliberations with all key stakeholders. The main objective is to make the forces leaner and fitter and give youth a possibility to serve the country and when they come out after four years, their employment opportunities increase because they are well trained and disciplined.
If the scheme is well thought-out, why are there so many widespread protests? The simple answer is, there is a pattern whereby suddenly a group of a well-organised set of people, politically aligned and with support from political parties that have been unable to defeat the BJP at the hustings, go into a war mode in terms of rioting and arson and spreading disinformation. No sane minded Indian, much less an army aspirant, will ever indulge in hooliganism or vandalism.
Allegations that Agnipath has been launched only because no jobs were created by the Modi government in the last eight years, is the biggest false narrative peddled by a rattled Opposition. Over Rs 18.6 lakh crore has been given to 34.42 crore entities, via PM Mudra Yojana, creating over 3.4 million self-reliant and self-employed people. Mudra Yojana, in fact, has the unique distinction of being the world’s largest self-employment generating scheme. Also, Agnipath is about imparting skill sets, discipline, nationalist fervour and can’t be seen only from the prism of employment. After all, how many 22-year-olds can boast of 4 years of world class training in one of the world’s most reputed institutions, UGC acknowledged skill certification, a kitty of Rs 11.71 lakh at the end of 4 years, insurance cover of Rs 48 lakh and access to education and bank loans at highly concessional rates?
The author is an economist, national spokesperson of the BJP, and the bestselling author of ‘The Modi Gambit’. Views expressed are personal.
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