It’s all about harnessing the strength and patriotism of India’s youth while giving the Armed Forces a lean and tech savvy look. India’s military ranks as the fourth most powerful in the recently released Global Firepower (GFP) annual defence review of 140 countries. With a strength of over 1.4 million active personnel, it is the world’s second-largest military force and has the world’s largest volunteer army. It also has the third-largest defence budget in the world. Obviously it is cynosure of all countries especially our neighbouring countries like Pakistan and China.
Now, when you have such a great force there is no stopping you from bringing in more creativity, challenges, youthfulness and getting tech savvy given the current world scenario of modern warfare. India has all the rights to make changes in its Armed Forces to get ready for challenges of tomorrow. As such there were no major changes happened with Armed Forces past 80 years, and, hence the new Recruitment Process to bring in Agniveers.
Launching Agnipath
On June 14, 2022 PM Modi-led Cabinet panel on security approved a recruitment scheme called ‘Agnipath’ for Indian youth to serve in the Armed Forces. In this scheme youths between the ages of 17-and-a-half and 21 years would get an opportunity to work with the Indian Armed Forces. This transformational policy will have recruits including women called as ‘Agniveers’. They will be forming a distinct rank in the Armed Forces and will have a separate insignia. This Agnipath scheme will ensure hiring individuals with ranks below that of officers and with the goal of deploying fitter, younger troops on the front lines. After four years, Agniveers will be able to apply voluntarily for the regular cadre. Based on merit, organisation requirement, up to 25 per cent shall be selected from that batch.
The Agniveers will get a tax-free annual financial package of Rs 4.76 lakhs in the first year and then with upgradation up to Rs 6.92 lakh by fourth year. They will then serve another full term of 15 years. The rest 75 per cent of them who get demobilised after four years will get a “Seva Nidhi” exit package of Rs.11.71 Lakh including a Skill Gain Certificate. According to Union Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, since most will be joining after 10th Class and with their entry level and on the job training, they will be credited with points that will enable them with Graduate equivalence. Hence someone joining after 10th will get 12th Certificate and someone joining with 12th Class will get Graduation equivalent certification apart from the Skill Certificate. He further adds that with this India will have a highly trained precious community.
They will also get disability and death benefits and also an insurance cover of Rs one crore to family in case of death during the service of four years. Also, proposal to reserve 10 per cent of the job vacancies in the Ministry of Defence for Agniveers has been approved. The scheme further entails that after four years if anyone wants to be an entrepreneur, they will get a financial package and bank loan. Those wishing to study further will be given 12th Class Certificate to enable them for further studies, while most will be given priority in CAPFs and State Police forces if opted. If one considers the words of industrialists like Shri Anand Mahindra, who expressed keen interest to hire Agniveers in his companies, the future of these Agniveers is now wide open to explore. While no change is being done to the Regimental System, the selection of Agniveers will further boost the cohesiveness of a regimental unit. Also, such process will ensure more job opportunities in future in the Armed Forces. This recruitment will bring down the average age of the troops from 32 to 26 in coming future.
As India is transforming into a New India, in the new recruitment scheme the selection will be carried out purely on merit basis and will replace the 200-year-old British era recruiting system which was based on specific caste-based regiments. With replacement of caste and geographic based recruitment, it will enable anybody from any region, class, caste or religious background to become part of the existing regiments. According to Army Chief General Manoj Pande “these Agniveers will be deployed at all those places where Indian army soldiers are deployed and there will be no compromise in operational capability”.
Most countries including the USA, have such short-term enlistment system and follow the best practice to have a young and are follow. Rather than harming the effectiveness of the Armed forces, it will ensure tried and tested personnel for its supervisory ranks increasing the effective performance. There is an underlying myth with Agniveers that they will pose a threat to national security and may join terrorism, but actually the youngsters who have worn the uniform for four years with hardcore patriotism inculcated in them will be committed to the nation for rest of their lives. Even today with the thousands of veterans who retire, there is no instances of them joining any anti-national forces. Many of the veterans and former officials of the Armed Forces have recognised the advantages of the scheme and welcomed it.
Such an excellent recruitment programme will exponentially enhance the existing Armed forces of India. With more charm, agility, techno and youthfulness added to the system, it will be like Sone Pe Suhaga for the three wings Army, Navy and Air Force in coming future.
As is the age-old scenario, when change happens for greater good, it will come with toughest criticism from people/forces with political ill-will. And those with vested interests in destabilising the security of the country will play their under hand in manipulating the people’s minds to create chaos. Because, its in their very nature and it happens to be their source of benefit and in a democratic system one can’t ignore such divisive forces. And, thus the chaos happened in India too after the launching of the reformative Agnipath scheme.
Misinformation was spread in social media and a narrative was created in the minds of the youth that 75 per cent of the recruits who would be demobilised will be ineligible for pensions, and they will have an uncertain future, as they would be limited to work for four years. Further the scheme will not provide permanent jobs or healthcare benefits after they retire. What is to be noted here is that, Union Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh has explicitly mentioned that after their exit from the service at the end of four years, they will get job opportunities in not only several ministries, but also in public sector undertakings too while dismissing the myth that this scheme was being adopted to bring down the pension bill in Armed Forces.
While one can’t ignore involvement of foreign hands including some foreign news agencies and people in spreading the rumours and misleading, there are many internal forces and political parties that orchestrated the chaos. This resulted in massive violent protests by brainwashed youths including subversive elements who took part in riots and agitations that resulted in damaging office buildings, railway stations, burnt train coaches and damaged rail tracks. With many train services getting cancelled, the Railways suffered heavily due to the ruckus. Many police personnel and general public got hurt and public property damaged due to the riots across many States of India. Hundreds of agitators from different parts of the country were now arrested and many WhatsApp groups were banned in retaliatory measure by the Government.
Many people argue that the agitations were actually a part of a cold-blooded scheme devised by the Congress party functionaries as their Yuvraj was under the ED questioning, some even opined that it’s a well devised plan by the entire opposing parties who consider Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi as a threat to their very existence due to his reformative and decisive actions to develop India. Anyways, people or even parties with ill-will, who get nurtured with their divide and rule policy brainwashing the mass for their own self aggrandisation can’t be ruled out as the prime conspirators for organising such destruction and jeopardising the harmony of the country while directly destroying the career of our innocent youths who fall prey to such conspiracies, misinformation and rumours.
With the three divisions of Armed Forces clear on execution of the Agnipath scheme which is slated to begin from July 2022, only for this year owing to last two years pandemic situation, the upper age limit has now been increased to 23. In a fitting response to the agitations and riots, the three-armed forces services representatives categorically maintained that those involved in the riots won’t be allowed to join force while police verification will be mandatory to get eligibility.
In the words of PM Narendra Modi, decisions and reforms may be unpleasant temporarily but with time the country will experience their benefits. “The path of start-up and innovation is not the one with ease, and taking the country on this path for the last eight years was also not easy. Several decisions and reforms may be unpleasant temporarily, but with time their benefits can be experienced by the country.” “The path of reforms can alone take us towards new targets and new resolve, we have opened up the space and Defence sector which for decades were under government control.”
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