AGNIPATH SCHEME - DEFENCE
News: Delhi
HC upholds constitutional validity of Agnipath scheme
What's in the news?
● The
Delhi High Court upheld the validity of the Agnipath scheme for the temporary
recruitment of youths into the armed forces.
● The
Division Bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium
Prasad dismissed a bunch of petitions challenging the Central Government’s
scheme and maintained that it has been introduced in “national interest”.
Key takeaways:
● The
Agnipath scheme was unveiled in June last year outlining rules for armed forces
recruitment.
● Under
the scheme, around 46,000 soldiers
between the ages of 17.5 and 21 years - who would be known as “Agniveers”
will be recruited into the three services for a period of four years on a
short-term contractual basis.
● Later,
the government extended the upper age
limit to 23 years for recruitment in 2022.
● After
this period, only 25% of the selected
candidates will be absorbed into permanent positions while the others will be
retired.
Agnipath Scheme:
● It
is a short-service manpower model
under which around 45,000 to 50,000 soldiers will be recruited annually.
● Of
these, 75% will leave the service in four years. 25% will be allowed to
continue for another 15 years under permanent commission.
● The
new system is only for personnel below
officer ranks (those who do not join the forces as commissioned officers).
Objectives of Agnipath Scheme:
● To
guzzle the armed forces ethos, courage, commitment and teamwork in the youth.
● To
provide the proper abilities and the qualities such as discipline, motivation,
dynamism so that the youth remains a proper asset.
● Provide
an opportunity for the youth who are
very much eager to serve the country in the uniform of a soldier.
● To
enhance the profile of the armed forces
by incorporating some of the best soldiers who can be in the front line and be
a major asset during the war.
Features:
Online system:
● Enrolment to all three
services will be through a centralized online
system, with special rallies and campus interviews at recognized technical
institutes.
● The
recruitment standards will remain the same, and recruitment will be done twice
a year through rallies.
Age eligibility:
● Recruitment
will be carried out on an “All India All Class” basis with the eligibility age ranging from 17.5 to 21,
with medical and physical fitness standards in accordance with existing norms.
● Planned
intake of 46,000 young men and women this year.
Payment:
● The
‘Agniveers’ will receive an annual package of ₹4.76 lakh in the first year to
₹6.92 lakh in the fourth year, apart from risk and hardship and other
allowances as applicable.
Seva Nidhi:
● Under
the ‘Seva Nidhi’ package, they will receive about ₹11.71 lakh, including contribution and interest, on completion of
service.
● The
recruits will have to contribute 30% of
their monthly emoluments to Seva Nidhi, with a matching contribution made
by the government.
Pension:
● There
will be no entitlement to gratuity and
pension benefits under the scheme.
Life insurance:
● They
will also get a 48lakh life insurance
cover for the four years. In case of death, the payout will be over 1
crore, including pay for the unserved tenure.
Significance of Agnipath Scheme:
1. Leaner and younger force:
● The
move will make the permanent force levels much leaner for the over 13-lakh
strong armed forces in the country.
● As
only 25% recruits will be allowed to continue for another 15 years under
permanent commission.
● Further,
the average age in the forces is 32 years today.
● It
is expected to go down to 26 in 6 to 7
years with the implementation of the scheme.
2. All India, All Class Recruitment:
● The
scheme will ensure “All India, All Class” recruitment to the services.
● This
is significant for the Army, where the regiment system has region and caste
bases.
3. Patriotism and National unity:
● National
unity, camaraderie and bonding should not be predicated on caste, community,
religion or provincial affiliation but on the more equitable notion of being a
patriotic Indian.
4. Reduce defence bill:
● Pensions made up 28.4% of
this year’s defence budget.
● Leaner
force and reduced benefits will considerably decrease the defence bill, which
has been a major concern for governments for many years.
● Further,
the saved money can be utilized to buy state-of-art technology and equipment
which are the backbone of modern warfare.
5. Benefits to Agniveers:
● The
skills and experience acquired during the 4-year service will allow the
soldiers to get employment in various fields.
● This
will also lead to availability of a higher-skilled
workforce to the economy which will be helpful in productivity gain and
overall GDP growth.
6. Buffer force:
● The
ex-agniveers could act as an ad hoc buffer force who may be called to serve
again for boosting national security in
times of external/internal threats.
7. Global Parity:
● All
major militaries in the world are undergoing reform.
● There
is a trend towards reduction in the number of personnel and emphasis on
increasing capital expenditure on modern weapons and equipment.
Concerns of Agnipath:
1. Contractualization of armed forces:
● The
foundation of this scheme is a four-year
contract.
● This
will result in reducing the interest among youth towards army and national
duty.
2. Jobs for the majority:
● States
such as Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar
Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan, are where the bulk of the Army recruitment
takes place.
● This
makes their employment opportunities and after life at stake.
3. Perks and benefits:
● Many
of these people value job stability, which includes retirement benefits and
pensions over competitive salaries.
● This
will reduce their tilt towards military jobs.
4. Uncertainty after the end of commission:
● Most
of them will be forced to leave the job within four years, which doesn’t fit
into their hopes and aspirations.
5. Casualization of training:
● It
reportedly takes two to three years to train a member of the army, but as a
part of the Agnipath, soldiers will only be trained for six months.
6. Threats to national security:
● Defence
analysts have allegedly pointed out that the Russian soldiers who were trained
for a limited amount of time before they went to war have performed
disastrously.
7. Morality of Agniveers:
● Many
experts believe that shorter duration service could compromise on training,
morale and commitment in comparison to the permanent recruits.
● Critics
argue that agniveers may turn out to be risk-averse with the bulk looking to
secure an alternate career.
WAY FORWARD:
1. Longer contract term:
● Make
the period of the contract for new recruits longer than four years. The present
clarification fails to address this issue.
2. Continuance of the commission:
● Relook
the 25 percent re-enlistment at the end of the contractual period. Ideally, it
should be over 50 percent retention for long-term posts.
3. Policy commitment for reabsorption:
● For
those leaving after their short service, do obtain a binding commitment from
CAPFs, state police forces and other organizations that they are willing to
absorb this trained military manpower.
4. Gradual shift in recruitment policy:
● Continue
with existing regular enrolment, in reduced numbers, and gradually shift to the
Tour of Duty once it stabilizes after five to ten years.
5. Rehabilitation of Agniveers:
● The
Government should help rehabilitate soldiers who leave the services after four
years.
● They
can be provided with skill certificates and bridge courses that will help them
in finding gainful employment.