Report by Shuchi Giridhar
The Agnipath scheme or Agneepath Yojana for young soldiers was released by Government of India on 14th June 2022. Let’s learn more about it!
What is the Agneepath scheme?
The scheme recruits youth under the ranks of officers on a 4 year contract basis. Recruited youth will be known as Agniveers.
During this four year-period the soldiers will serve three and a half years of duty. The training period will be of 6 months.
After the four years of service, 25% of the Agniveers will be retained for the full period of 15 years of service. The chances of an Agniveer being retained is based on three factors – willingness, fitness, and performance. A sum of 11.7 lakhs and a Skill certificate will be issued to the remaining 75% to help them with their jobs.
What is the eligibility for this scheme?
An online system will oversee enrollment for all three forces. The interviews will be held by renowned technology institutes. These include the Industrial Training Institutes and the National Skills Qualifications Framework.
An ‘All India All Class’ approach will be taken to the registration. This means that anyone from any part of India can apply for the scheme.
Both men and women between the ages 17.5-21 will be eligible to participate in the scheme. In 2022, as a one-time measure, the age has been increased to 23.
An Agniveer will be required to have good medical fitness without any health issues.
An Agniveer is also required to have studied till class 10 at the least.
About 46,000 soldiers are intended to be recruited.
What will the salary be?
The starting pay for the first year will be 4.76 lakhs. This amount will increase to Rs. 6.92 lakhs in the fourth year.
At the end of the contract, the Seva Nidhi package of 11.71 lakhs (50% contributed by the Agniveer during service and 50% from the government) will be issued. This amount will be tax free.
During their 4 years of service, a life insurance of 48 lakhs will be provided to each Agniveer (this means that if an Agniveer loses his life while in service, their family will get 48 lakhs)
What are the benefits of this scheme?
It provides the youth an opportunity to be a part of the Armed Forces.
For the first time, it creates a performance linked retention in the Indian Armed Forces – 25% of the Agniveers will be retained in the Defence Forces, based on their performance.
Salaries are a major part of our defence budget. The earlier SSB – Short Service Commission scheme, which allows professionals to join the forces as officers for 5 years and then pursue a career in the private sector, have been successful. This reduces both the cost of recruitment and the manpower (salary) cost for the Indian armed forces.
After 4 years, Agniveers will get:
A. Priority in Bank loans (announcement only)
B. 10% Ministry of Defence jobs will be reserved for them.
C. 10% CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces) jobs reserved for Agniveers
D. Those who wish to pursue further studies will get a 10+2 equivalent certificate and can join a graduation program.
E. The Ministry of Education has announced that it will launch a special 3 year degree program for the Agniveers under IGNOU. This degree will be valid for employment as a graduation degree – both in India and internationally. (Announcement only at the time of writing this).
F. Some other state governments have mentioned that they will give priority to Agniveers in government recruitment. (Announcement only at the time of writing this)
Some Key Points
According to data shared by the Ministry of Defence with Parliament on March 28, more than one lakh positions for junior commissioned officers and other ranks are vacant in the Army.
Recruitment for this scheme will start in September – October 2022.
Is India the only country to have short term armed forces tenure?
On the contrary, many countries have short term armed forces tenures.
In some countries like Israel, Singapore, South Korea, and Brazil, citizens have to mandatorily serve in the armed forces for 12-30 months.
Is this the only non-permanent enrolment in the Indian Armed Forces?
In India, the Territorial Army is a voluntary body to which any Indian citizen can apply. The Territorial Army is not paid, but these civilians can be called to duty in the event of a war. They have seen action in the 1962, 65, and 71 wars.
In the Officers cadre, the Short Service Commission allows officers to serve the armed forces for 5 years before retiring without benefits.
The armed forces select both Commissioned Officers (those who will serve full tenure and retire with pension and benefits) and SSCOs- Short Service Commissioned Officers (those who will serve for 5 years and retire without pension).
Why are people protesting?
The main reservations are:
A. Protestors want the assurance of the full 15 year term and retirement with pension and benefits.
B. Officers worry whether a jawan who is in the armed forces for just 4 years, will display the same discipline and obedience that a permanent jawan does.
C. Some senior retired veterans feel that the scheme has not been tested and its results cannot be predicted. In a sensitive sector like defence, that is a major risk to take.
D. Some aspirants to the armed forces feel that employment after these 4 years will be very difficult. This will mean unemployment for them.
E. Some security specialists feel that this will unleash a lot of military trained, unemployed people into society. These people might, in their frustration at not finding a job, resort to the use of violence.
F. According to the Army Chief, all aspirants who had cleared the physical examination or written examination for the Indian Army, and were awaiting some more exams before joining as jawans, will now not be selected. That selection process stands closed (terminated). This brings disappointment to many young people. However, the Army has, since then, clarified that regimental (permanent) recruitment of jawans will continue as is. That process is not being stopped.
Question for you
Should the Agniveer scheme be retained by the government? What changes would you like to propose to the government to make the scheme a success?