After endorsing the BJP-led NDA, the Janata Dal (United) called for a reassessment of the Agnipath scheme for military recruitment.

Agnipath Scheme

Agnipath scheme was aimed at recruiting personnel below officer ranks — soldiers, airmen, and sailors who are not commissioned officers — to the Indian Armed Forces for a period of four years. 

• Origin: The idea of a short-term recruitment plan, called ‘Tour of Duty’ (ToD), was first suggested about two years ago for selecting officers and jawans, covering a limited number of positions.
• Eligibility: Under this initiative, individuals aged between 17.5 to 23 will be chosen and designated as Agniveers. 
  • Their enrollment will span four years, during which they will constitute a unique cadre within the Armed Forces, distinct from all existing ranks.
• Condition: At the end of this tenure, upto 25% of these recruits, the so called ‘Agniveers’, can join the services on a permanent commission (another 15 years), subject to merit and organisational requirements. 
• Objective: To reduce the current average age in the forces from 32 to 26 within six to seven years.

Enroll now for UPSC Online Course

Advantages for Agniveers

• Financial Support: Upon completing the 4-year service, Agniveers will receive a one-time ‘Seva Nidhi’ package totaling Rs 11.71 lakhs, including accrued interest. Additionally, they will be covered by a Rs 48 lakh life insurance policy during this period.
• Enhanced Payouts: In the unfortunate event of death, beneficiaries will receive over Rs 1 crore, incorporating pay for any unserved tenure.
• Post-Service Assistance: The government will facilitate the transition of departing soldiers by providing skill certificates and bridge courses to aid in their rehabilitation.
• Post-Retirement Benefits: Unlike regular service members, Agniveers do not receive pensions after retirement. Only the 25% of Agniveers absorbed into the forces after four years will be eligible for pensionary benefits, with the initial four years of service not counted towards this.

Benefits of Agniveer Scheme

• Expanding Military Exposure: Agnipath Scheme or Tour of Duty broadens the Indian population’s exposure to military life, fostering a wider understanding.
• Fostering Discipline: It cultivates a sizable, disciplined workforce with diverse skill sets, benefiting the nation.
• Promoting National Unity: By instilling rule-abiding behavior and transcending regional and sectarian biases, the scheme enhances citizens’ physical fitness and promotes national unity.
• Reserve Capabilities: Trained personnel can serve as reservists during national emergencies, bolstering national security.
• Addressing Fiscal Challenges: One of the key motivations behind the scheme is to mitigate the escalating salary and pension expenditures associated with long-term military service, thereby contributing to fiscal sustainability.

Check Out UPSC CSE Books From PW Store

Concerns related to Agnipath Scheme

• Fostering Unity: The timeframe for Agnipath is insufficient for fostering cohesion, which typically evolves over an extended period through shared living, training, and experiencing the challenges of field operations, high-altitude missions, and counter-insurgency operations together.
• Operational Capability Decline: Expanding the Agniveer scheme risks worsening the operational efficiency of the military due to its short-term nature, potentially exacerbating existing issues with the tooth-to-tail ratio.
• Attracting Less Desirable Candidates: Many top candidates may prefer more permanent options like the police or paramilitary forces. This could lead to the army being chosen as a second or third choice by young aspirants.
• Abolishing State Quotas: The Agnipath scheme eliminates state-based recruitment quotas, preventing dominance by any single state, linguistic group, or ethnicity. 
  • Research indicates that such imbalance can strain democracy and heighten the risk of civil conflict, a concern in India’s current political climate.
• Class-Based to All-India Recruitment: This major shift could harm the armed forces by disrupting their management, leadership, and operating philosophy. 
  • Soldiers in the Indian Army are not only professionally trained but also motivated by their social identity and reputation within their caste, village, or social group.
• Untested Scheme: The Agnipath scheme, the primary recruitment method for all three services, lacks independent studies, pilot projects, or test runs to evaluate its viability. 
  • Analysts note that Russian soldiers, with limited training before the Ukraine war, performed poorly.
• Mismatch Between Requirement and Recruitment: The armed forces face a shortfall of 155,000 personnel, with the Army having 136,000 vacancies. 
  • Over 90% of these are non-officer combat ranks targeted by the Agnipath scheme. Releasing 75% of trained recruits after four years would be wasteful.

Suggestions for Improvement

• Service Period Extension:  The Indian Army suggested increasing the service period from 4 years to 7-8 years.
  • Additionally, they recommended increasing the entry age for Agniveers in the technical field to 23 years. 
• Disability Compensation: They also suggested that ex-gratia should be provided for disability during training and that exit management should be handled by a professional agency.
• War Casualty support: Moreover, if an Agniveer dies in war, their family should receive a subsistence allowance.

Enroll now for UPSC Online Classes

Conclusion

The Indian Army’s recommendations for the Agnipath scheme focus on enhancing the inclusion and training of Agniveers to maintain operational efficiency and address concerns related to the lack of experience and expertise among new recruits.

DOWNLOAD PDF