Agnipath recruitment scheme: What is it and why are defence aspirants protesting
2 min read 16 Jun 2022, 05:46 PM ISTScores of defence aspirants are protesting against the Agnipath scheme as they are unhappy with the changes, particularly the length of service, no pension provisions for those released early, and the 17.5 to 21-year age restriction
PremiumThe Union Cabinet on Tuesday unveiled the Agnipath scheme for the recruitment of soldiers in the Army, Navy and the Air Force largely on a four-year short-term contractual basis.
Under the scheme, youths between the ages of 17 and a half and 21 years will be inducted into the three services. After completion of the four-year tenure, 25% of the recruits will be retained for regular service, based on organisational requirements and policies promulgated by the armed forces from time to time.
The reform, which is a major overhaul of the decades-old selection process, will govern the recruitment of personnel below officer rank (PBOR).
Agniveers – recruits in the Agnipath scheme – will form a distinct rank in the three services, and will also wear a distinct insignia as part of their uniform.
Around 45,000 to 50,000 soldiers will be recruited annually under the scheme on an 'All India All Class' basis. The recruitment standards will remain the same, and recruitment will be done twice a year through rallies.
The monthly salary of an 'Agniveer' in the first year of employment would be ₹30,000 and the in-hand amount would be ₹21,000 as ₹9,000 would go to a corpus and the government will make an equal contribution per month.
Subsequently, the monthly salary in the second, third and fourth year will be ₹33,000, ₹36,500 and ₹40,000 respectively. Each 'Agniveer' will get an amount of ₹11.71 lakh as the 'Seva Nidhi Package' and it will be exempted from the income tax.
Concerns of the aspirants:
Scores of defence aspirants are protesting against the Agnipath scheme as they are unhappy with the changes, particularly the length of service, no pension provisions for those released early, and the 17.5 to 21-year age restriction.
A number of opposition political parties and military experts have also slammed the scheme saying it will adversely impact the functioning of the armed forces.
"We demand that the recruitment be done as it used to be done earlier. Tour of Duty (ToD) be rolled back and exams be held as earlier. Nobody will go to the Army for just four years," said a protester from Bihar's Munger.
The East Central Railway zone, headquartered in Hajipur, reported massive disruption of rail traffic. Busy routes like Patna-Gaya, Barauni-Katihar and Danapur-DDU were listed among those worst affected by the stir.
Hundreds of young people on Thursday took to the streets in Haryana's Gurugram, Rewari and Palwal against the scheme and even blocked highways.
In Gurugram's Bilaspur and Sidhrawali, protesters laid a virtual seize on bus stands and roads and held a protest at Bilaspur Chowk, crippling traffic on the Gurugram-Jaipur highway.
Govt's response
Following this, government officials released a fact sheet on the programme to bust myths and placate the agitators.
They denied that opportunities for youth will decrease as a result of Agnipath. In fact, they said the opportunities for youth to serve in the armed forces will rather increase.
"In the coming years, recruitment of Agniveers will be around triple of the current recruitment in armed forces," they said.
The government also informed that the Agniveers will get a financial package and bank loan scheme if they wish to be entrepreneurs. “For those wishing to study further, they will be given class 12 equivalent certificate and bridging course. For those wishing to obtain jobs, they will be given priority in CAPFs and state police," they said.
