Protests have broken out against the Indian Government'sAgnipath scheme - a radical recruitment plan for the armed services. Theopposition has claimed Centre's "transformative" scheme reduces theoperational effectiveness of India’s armed forces.
Modi government "must stop compromising the dignity,traditions, valour & discipline of our forces,” says Congress leader RahulGandhi.
Protests have turned violent in several parts of the country,including Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh.
But what is the Agnipath scheme? How does it affect therecruitment system? And, why are army aspirants across India are protesting?
On June 14, the government unveiled its new Agnipath scheme forrecruiting soldiers across all three services. The new defence recruitmentreform, approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security, will take effectimmediately. The soldiers recruited under the plan will be known as'Agniveers'.
This scheme entails a recruitment process for people below therank of officer. The new recruitment plan aims at deploying fitter and youngertroops on the front lines, many of whom will be on four-year contracts.
Under the Agnipath scheme, both men and women between the agesof 17.5 and 23 will be inducted into the armed forces. Earlier, the upper agelimit was 21, which was raised amid nationwide protests on June 16. Thegovernment decided to raise the age limit as no recruitment took place in thelast 2 years.
All 3 services will be enlisted through a centralised onlinesystem, with rallies and campus interviews held by accredited technicalcolleges such as Industrial Training Institutes and the National SkillsQualifications Framework, among others.
Enrollment will be done on an 'All India, All Class' basis.Agniveers will meet the medical requirements for induction in the armedservices as they apply to their particular categories/trades. The educationalqualifications of Agniveers will continue to be popular for enrolment in avariety of categories, like - a Class 10 education is required to become aGeneral Duty (GD) soldier.
Girls under the age limit are eligible for Agnipath, however,there is no such reservation for women in this scheme.
Agniveers will receive a monthly package that is tailored totheir needs, as well as Risk and Hardship allowances for each of the threeservices. Agniveers will also be paid a one-time 'SevaNidhi' package at the endof the four-year engagement term, which will include their contribution plusaccrued interest, as well as a matching contribution from the governmentequivalent to the accumulated amount of their contribution plus the interest.
In the 1st year of service, Agniveers will be given Rs 30,000per month. But, they will receive only Rs 21,000 as 30% or Rs 9,000 of theirremuneration will be their contribution to Agniveer Corpus Fund.
In 2nd year, the personnel will get Rs 33,000; Rs 36,500 in thethird year and Rs 40,000 in the fourth year. After 4-year service, they willget Rs 11.71 lakh as Seva Nidhi Package.
The 'Seva Nidhi' will be income tax-free. There will be noentitlement to benefits such as gratuities or pensions. For the term of theirengagement in the Indian Armed Forces, Agniveers would be supplied with anon-contributory Life Insurance Coverage of Rs 48 lakh.
The first Agnipath entry rally will take place inSeptember-October 2022.
After a 4-year of service, 25% of the Agniveers will be retainedin the regular cadre purely on merit, willingness and medical fitness, who willthen serve for a full term of another 15 years.
The other 75% of Agniveers will be demobilised with a “SevaNidhi '' package, partly funded by their monthly contributions. Apart from this,skill certificates and bank loans will also be provided for help in theirsecond careers.
Army aspirants across India are mainly protesting againstthe four-year service provision of the scheme. The protesters believe neitherjob seekers nor the country will benefit from the new recruitment plan.
The major issue in the 'Agneepath Yojana' is that after fouryears, 75 percent of the youth will have to be out.
According to protesters, a youth who becomes an Agniveer at 17.5years will neither have any professional degree nor any special qualifications;thus, he will be bound to take up second-class jobs.
Their primary fear is that they will not be able to performeffectively for the four years allotted to them and that after that time, theywould be out of work again. That too without a pension or other retirementbenefits.
Aspirants further claim that the scheme is a sham that doeslittle to create jobs or opportunities.
Young people planning to join the army say they work hard andhave been preparing for many years. They will not accept four-year employmentin such a situation. The youths who are protesting have asked the government tosuspend the scheme right away.
Violent protests have broken out across the country. People inBihar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh hit thestreets. Many protesters pelted stones at the residence and several police vehicleswere torched.
Several roadways buses were damaged in stone-pelting and roadsand National Highways were also blocked. Following this, police had to use teargas shells and fire air shots to control the mob.
Army aspirants in Bihar, Rajasthan and Gurugram disrupted railand road traffic seeking reinstatement of the previous recruitment system,while Sikar and Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan also witnessed protests.
Protesting aspirants allege that if the Tour of Duty (TOD)programme is applied in the armed services, it would be a major setback forlakhs of over-aged aspirants who have been waiting for recruitment for the pasttwo years. Not only this, but the new plan will also put troops in a bind ifthey retire at the age of merely 24-25.
Protesters are now demanding that the recruitment process bereinstated and that the new scheme be cancelled.
Students are also concerned that the Agnipath will be used toeliminate constitutionally mandated reservation benefits, akin to contractualhiring in railways and lateral entry in other government ministries.
The military's new Tour of Duty recruitment scheme, now known as'Agnipath,' has been in the works for more than two years. The proposal, whichwas touted as "transformative" and "historic," has been metwith widespread criticism from Army applicants, experts, and even many militaryofficers.
According to critics, regardless of what was said at the presserfollowing the scheme's launch, the main goal of the new recruitment policy isto keep the military's pension budget from ballooning further.
The issue has been brewing for decades. Pensions accounted for19 percent of the defence budget in 2012-13, rising to 26 percent in 2019-20.As a result, year after year, the budget allocation for capital expenditurefalls short of the armed forces' resource projections.
The Agnipath scheme will result in a considerably leanermilitary and significant savings in pensions and other lifelong benefits, whichconsume a large portion of the defence budget.
This was perhaps one of the most important motivators for thenew policy.
Notably, the Rs 5,25,166 crore defence budget for 2022-23includes Rs 1,19,696 crore for defence pensions. The revenue expenditureallocation was Rs 2,33,000 crore. The revenue expenditure includes expenses forsalary payment and establishment maintenance.
Unemployment in the country is on the rise.
With the new armed forces recruitment plan, the governmentintends to hire 46,000 "agniveer" this year. However, due to the agelimits, the recruitment may exclude those who have been waiting for the hiringfreeze to end since 2020.
Over the last two years, more than a lakh vacancies haveaccumulated in the Indian Army alone, but under the new policy, not all may befilled. A major disappointment to a significant number of youths!
Moreover, with a clear and present threat on its northern borderand a hostile neighbour to its west, India's military leaders feel a two-frontthreat is becoming more real. The major question about the new policy iswhether it has the ability to produce a better-trained, more committed combatforce for India.
Additionally, the scheme would not do justice to the personnelwho are recruited through it. The extent to which the economy will absorb orwelcome the ex-Agniveer will be determined by their skill set and the trainingthey get. Especially as meaningful employment opportunities continue to elude agrowing percentage of graduates.
It is high time that government devises a strategy to creategenuine job opportunities, rather than creating a sham in the name ofemployment. Because "The final solution for unemployment is work,"says Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the United States.