Pragmatic approach needed to redefine Agnipath scheme
The "Agnipath" scheme is a sweeping military reform causing dissatisfaction due to disparities in benefits between regular soldiers and Agniveers.
“Agnipath” scheme is a sweeping military reform in the history of independent India. When announced in June 2022, the former army chief Gen Manoj Mukund Narvane had gone to the extent to remark in his autobiography “Four Starts of Destiny”, that all of a sudden the introduction of Agnipath scheme has taken the army “by surprise” and was a “bolt out of the blue” for the navy and the air force, thereby, making it crystal clear that neither was it an initiative from the armed forces, nor have they been taken into confidence while formulating and introducing this scheme.
Our armed forces have time-tested recruitment systems at jawans (sepoy or persons below officer-rank). From time to time, it has been revised to meet their needs and requirements in terms of better operational efficiency while keeping welfare of soldiers in different and typical conditions, and circumstances during and post-service, because resettlement factor cannot be overlooked. Life in the military cannot be compared with civil organisations as working conditions are extremely different and tough. On joining the armed forces, one gets uprooted from mainstream life and has to struggle hard to get resettled after release. Therefore, great care needs to be exercised in formulating or amending any policy regarding service terms and conditions of armed forces personnel.
Further, this scheme is a contractual appointment system devised to reduce the enormously increasing pension bills of the armed forces as well as to maintain more youthful age profile as is being said; so as to enhance efficiency of our military; but at the heavy expense of welfare of Agniveers and their family in case of a battle casualty or in case one suffers incapacities, physical or mental, in that Agniveers are not considered at par with regular soldiers which is causing dissatisfaction and uncertainties in minds of already inducted Agniveers, aspirants and their families. Wide disparities are clear in monetary and other benefits between a regular solider and an Agniveer, hence controversies, disagreements, displeasures and disappointments are on the surge against this contractual appointment policy in armed forces.
We cannot ignore our socio-economics conditions. Overlooking these conditions may bring about disaster in the long term and damage done may be irrecoverable. Despite a lot of changes in the socio-economic fabric during the last three decades after liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation, joining and serving the armed forces continue to be a matter of pride and honour. This spirit and environment have to be maintained so that flow of manpower in terms of quality and quantity remain up to the mark in the best interest of our “Fauj” which provides security from external aggression as well as internal security challenges including shouldering the response in case of natural calamities and disaster. It will be a major setback when youths will be unwilling to join the armed forces as a career.
There would be better option in carrying out recruitments as was being done prior to this policy. However, terms of regular engagement can be reduced to at least 10 years specifically in combat arms and after 10 years of regular combatant service, 50% of these Agniveers should be absorbed in armed forces and the remaining 50% shifted to central armed polices forces (CAPFs) and state armed police forces and other civil organisations with gratuity, CSD facilities, ECHS facilities: but without any pension. Likewise, they will get a handsome and firm resettlement package. Even, agniveers of combat arms can be absorbed in combat support arms.
Next, it is being argued that job opportunities will be kept reserved for former Agniveers. Currently, 60,000 to 70,0000 armed forces personnel come home between the age group of 37 to 42, and there is huge backlog of retired soldiers (ESM) despite job reservations at various levels. One can imagine that how the Agniveer in the current scheme will get firm employment opportunities. Though, it has been announced that Agniveers will get a 10% reservation and several other concessions in CAPF recruitment, it is not clear that whether this announced reservation will be clubbed with already existing 10% reservations with other concession for ESMs or would there be 10% for Agniveers and 10% ESM separately; similar is the case of the announcement made by Haryana government regarding 10% reservation in state jobs.
Apparently, the government is under constant pressure from various employee unions to restore old pension scheme (OPS).Therefore,intention of the government is to do away with pension system in armed forces in due course, as, almost all soldiers will be Agniveers, thus, major portion of manpower in the forces will be contractual appointees. But, professionalism and continuity of work culture being nurtured in armed forces will surely get affected.No doubt that armed forces provide full financial security in case of casualties to the next-of-kin and it is this financial security that keeps attracting and motivating youths to join armed forces and these factors have to be maintained. It is time to make the scheme more realistic. There is an urgent need to keep Agniveers at par with the regular soldiers particularly with respect of benefits after facing battle casualties as well as on duty casualties along with a fair and firm resettlement policy.
(The writer is a Kurukshetra-based Indian Air Force veteran. Views expressed are personal)