The Union Cabinet Committee on Security, approved the new recruitment scheme which will provide an opportunity to youth of the age of 17.5 years to 21 years old to serve in the regular cadre of the Armed Forces for a period of four years with a provision to retain 25% of them in the regular cadre for 15 more years after another round of screening, enhance the operational preparedness of the armed forces and create a skilled and dynamic work force for employment in other sectors. This new recruitment scheme will replace the legacy system of recruitment to lower the age profile of the three services to meet the future challenges. Further it will change the composition of several British-era regiments that recruited solders from specific castes such as Jat, Rajputs, Sikhs etc. and it will create an All India All Class (AIAC) system to provide equal opportunities to youths across the country.
The Government said the Agnipath Scheme will also open the path to induct women in the future to all wings of the armed forces based on service requirements.
The Agnipath Scheme is envisaged that the average age profile of the Indian Armed Forces would come down by about 4-5 years with the implementation of this scheme. The selection will be the exclusive jurisdiction of the Armed Forces. Selected candidate will be called Agniveers, a new distinct rank as opposed to sepoys who joined the army under the legacy model. There will be no other avenue for recruitment for personnel below officer rank (PBOR) in army, air force and navy.
The Agniveers will draw an annual package of Rs. 4.76 lakh in the first year which will increase to Rs. 6.92 lakh in the fourth year along with risk and hardship allowances as applicable in the three services with life insurance cover of Rs. 48 lakh. Further after completion of fourth year they will be paid Rs. 11.71 lakh as a Seva Nidhi severance package which will comprise their contribution including accrued interest thereon and matching contribution from government. The Seva Nidhi will be exempt from Income Tax. The skill gained by each agniveer will be recognised in a certificate to form part of his unique resume.
This scheme is transformational and will benefit both the armed forces and the country in an asymmetrical manner. It will bring down the current age profile of the frontline units from 32 years at present to 26 years in next six years time. General Manoj Pandey said in an interview that the senior military leadership was fully convinced of the benefits of Agnipath Scheme which aims to make the Army "a future ready fighting force capable of meeting multiple challenges across the entire spectrum of conflict".
Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen BS Raju said impact of Agnipath Scheme would be in terms of giving opportunity for Indian Army to get younger, fitter & probably more tech-savvy. Beauty of this scheme is that it's going to be introduced in a very slow manner. In 1st yr we're getting around 40,000 recruits: These recruits will be selected pan-India & will go through 6 months of training. Thereafter they'll serve for 3.5 yrs. At the end of 4 yrs, we're looking at retaining 25% of the people who we think have the attitude and aptitude to stay in the Army as regular cadre through a central, transparent and rigorous system.
In many modern armed forces around the world, the service period range from 2 to 8 years with option for active and reservist service. The Russian military follows a hybrid format, combining a tradition cadre and reserve conscript system and a contract profession system. The Israeli military has service of two and half years for men and 22 months for women. The French armed forces enlist solders on the bases of renewable contracts which range between one and ten years. The United Kingdom (UK) and United States of America (USA) also have shorter duration contracts. All major militaries in the world are undergoing reform. They are focusing on increasing capital expenditure on purchasing the modern weapons and equipment.
An Indian armed force is facing the greatest challenge of budget constraint. The government has allocated Rs. 5.25 lakh crore for military spending this year, including a pension outlay of Rs. 1.20 lakh crore and Rs. 1.35 lakh crore for salary and allowances. For years, because of the pension bill, the revenue component of the Ministry of Defence has been larger than the capital outlay for modernisation of the armed forces. However the government is of the view to spend more on the armed forces, if needed.
Union Home Ministry has also decided to give priority to the Agniveers who have completed 4 years under this scheme in the recruitment of CAPFs and Assam Rifles. MHA also stated that through this scheme, skills and abilities will be built in the youth of the country and at the same time it will make the defence system of the country even more empowered. State Governments may give preference to Agniveers in state police force recruitments. There will be scope to absorb the well trained, experienced and disciplined youth in railways, Banks, BSF, CRPF, Police, CBI, intelligence unit and in other industries. Agnipath Scheme has far-reaching implications.
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