Arshid Rasool
We live in times where the nature of combat has transformed beyond recognition. India faces threats not just from land, water and the sky but also from cybertech, the internet of military things and artificial intelligence. There is, therefore, a need for a better equipped and more prepared military. To fulfill the need of young and well equipped armed forces, the government came up with the idea of Agnipath Scheme. June 14th 2022 was the D Day which brought a subtle change in history of Armed Forces, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced a new way for the Armed forces to find its new employees as “The Agniveer Scheme” was approved by the Union Cabinet. People were to be chosen for jobs in the Indian Armed Forces below the rank of officer. The length of service under the scheme will be 3.5 years, with six months of training. The goal of the plan was to cut down on unemployment in the country. Only 25% of soldiers were decided to be allowed to stay after four years. With the Seva Nidhi package, the rest of the soldiers were to be sent back. The goal of this plan was to get more young people to join the Indian Army, thereby reducing the average age of soldiers. Under this plan, about 46,000 new recruits were to be hired each year.
Broadly the advantages offered by this scheme were as follows: – One of the reasons for implementation of the Agnipath Yojana is to lower the median age of our personnel. The need for it was felt after the 1962 war with China. Decades later, the Kargil Review Committee also highlighted the same. In the Indian Army today, only 19% of the personnel are below 25 years of age and a whopping 19% are in the age group of 36-40. Since the borders along both China and Pakistan have mountainous terrain, units with a lower age profile will perform better in such areas. Nature of warfare is changing and is becoming increasingly multi-domain and becoming increasingly evolving in different aspects of warfare, be it cyber, space, information warfare. There are new technological infusions in terms of recruitment and systems. So, the forces need to leverage this technology to come up with a future-ready fighting force.
More than half the defence budget is allocated for pensions every year while less than 5% is allocated for research and development. One key reason for the Agnipath scheme, which aims to recruit defence personnel in short-term contracts, could be to reduce increasing pension payments in the Army, Navy, and Air Force. It will enable more investment in R&D of the Defence Sector. The scheme would be a win-win situation for the Armed Forces, Nation, individuals and the society at large. National Integration based in unity in diversity with equal opportunity to youth including women from all regions. Nation Building through empowered, disciplined & skilled youth with military ethos in civil society. Improved battle preparedness through transformative evolution with energetic, fitter, diverse, more trainable and resilient youth suited to the changing dynamics. Selection of the Best with rigorous and transparent selection process. Youthful Profile by optimal balance of youth & experience. Endeavour to Harness benefits of Skill India by induction from Tech Institutes. Opportunity for Youth to fulfil dream of joining the Armed Forces and serve the Nation.Imbibe military discipline, motivation, skill and physical fitness. Smooth integration into society with skill sets, certification and diplomas/ higher education/credits. Good financial package making him more stable than his civilian counterparts. Confident & better citizens by military training, team building, ethos & camaraderie forged over the years. Resume so unique that an Agniveer will stand out in the crowd. People in India had started giving their thoughts and ideas about this new plan after it was announced. Many people liked the plan, while others went for large-scale protests. There were reports of many violent protests that took place all over India. However, the Agnipath promises to yield a more youthful profile for the military and will result in improved battle preparedness through more trainable and resilient youth. The advent of many such promises will invariably be seen in the times to come.
