Remove the blemishes

On June 14, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced that the Union Cabinet had approved the "Agnipath" scheme for the four-year recruitment of youth into the armed forces personnel below officer's rank (PBOR). This will be the only way for soldiers to join the three defence services from now on. The recruiting process will begin in 90 days, with a projected intake of 46,000 young men and women this year. The scheme will enlist young people aged 17 ½ to 21 in the three services. For this year, the upper age limit has been raised to 23 years. 'Agniveers' is the name given to the new recruits. According to organisational requirements and directives established by the armed services from time to time, 25 per cent of the recruits will be kept for regular duty after completing their four-year term.

Additional provisions of the scheme

Agniveers will receive a monthly package that is tailored to their needs, as well as risk and hardship allowances for each of the three services. They will be paid a one-time 'SevaNidhi' package at the completion of the four-year engagement period, which will include their contribution plus accrued interest. Income tax will not apply to the "Seva Nidhi'' of approximately Rs 11.71 lakh, with the option of accessing a bank loan of up to Rs 18.2 lakh over three years or more against the package. There will be no entitlement to benefits like those of gratuities or pensions. For the term of their commitment in the Indian Armed Forces, they would be supplied with a non-contributory life insurance of Rs 48 lakh.

What made it necessary?

Even if the Central Government pays pensions to 52 lakh Central civilian retirees, the cost of pensions for six lakh defence widows and 20 lakh servicemen is considered a hardship. The defence budget for fiscal year 2022-23 is Rs 5.25 lakh crore, with Rs 1.19 lakh crore (22 per cent) set aside for pensioners. This leaves the army with little scope for capital expenditures, such as the purchase of high-priced weaponry, sophisticated military systems, fighter jets, and so on. If this programme is implemented successfully, ex-servicemen's pension costs could be reduced by up to 75 per cent after at least two decades.

The Central government also claimed that the initiative would reduce the army's average age. The initiative, according to Rajnath Singh, will progressively reduce the average age of soldiers from 36 to 24–26 years. This will result in a force that is more fit, nimble, technically knowledgeable, and modern.

Nation's security at threat

Many veterans, including Lieutenant Generals KJ Singh and Jaishankar Menon, as well as Major Generals VK Madhok and Raj Mehta, have spoken out against Agneeveers, concerned about six-month-trained short-term contract soldier's professional capabilities. This isn't intended to be their 'tour of duty.' The security of the country is of paramount importance, and a soldier's primary goal is to win at any cost. This timescale is expected to be insufficient for them to develop into top-notch soldiers, and they will be expelled soon after gaining the necessary experience. It must be ensured that they are not involved in any illicit activities and that they are carefully integrated into appropriate jobs. The navy and the air force have significantly more technical manpower requirements, with commanders who are highly trained and specialised in their jobs. These services will struggle to find productive ways to utilize short-term contract soldiers, putting further strain on permanent ones and reducing the practical workability of current armaments and platforms, suggesting that schemes like Agnipath, which turn the entire system on its head, should be tested first. With both Pakistan and China posing challenges to India, the country can no longer afford to under-train its army's various formations.

Why are the youth upset?

The majority of the demonstrators are from the northern states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Bihar, which are known for having the highest unemployment rates. The protest is spreading like a forest fire across Kerala, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Rajasthan. According to data released by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) in April, Haryana has the highest unemployment rate of 34.5 per cent, followed by Rajasthan with 28.8 per cent and Bihar with 21.1 per cent. Notably, some of these states recruit a majority of sepoys. Aside from that, the adoption of "All India all class" will reduce their composition. Nevertheless, this step is welcome as it will provide everyone a fair shot because the region and caste-based recruitment process will be discontinued. Train coaches were set ablaze, and the BJP's offices were damaged as violent protests against the proposal swept throughout numerous North Indian states.

The principal source of fear and insecurity is the new scheme's transient nature: service is limited to four years, there is no pension, and the soldier and his family are not covered by a lifetime healthcare benefit. Agitated youth demand a promising future where they will be granted successful re-employment. They continue to disbelieve the Union government's intention to compel public sector banks, insurance firms, and other associated financial institutions, among others, to absorb the dismissed agniveers in due course. After the protests went out of hand, several BJP-ruled states responded by proclaiming that agniveers would be given priority in state government jobs. On the fourth day of the protest, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced a 10 per cent reservation in CAPF and Assam rifles, as well as a 5-year age relaxation for the initial batch. The 10 per cent reservation will also be adopted in the coast guard, defence civilian roles, and all 16 defence public sector companies, according to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. This would be in addition to the existing reservation for ex-servicemen.

Can the government be trusted?

Protesters are aware that preference is not the same as assurance. It should be written into the public service commissions of the states that have claimed to absorb Agniveers so that the re-elected government follows the regulations and does not dismiss them. A similar promise of 10 per cent police service reservation was made to ex-servicemen in Madhya Pradesh. They've started to oppose the state administration for failing to fill the 600 seats allocated for them. For the past two years, aspirants have been hustling. Candidates for the Army had passed their medical and physical exams and were awaiting their written examinations.

They've been turned down six times in the last 18 months, with each denial citing COVID as the cause. Physical fitness tests were held simultaneously at ARO Jodhpur, with each batch containing 6,000 students. The Indian Air Force even held exams and declared the results, but only the recruitment of non-officer posts was halted. Students spoke out at a number of rallies to express their dissatisfaction. Protesters even staged a peaceful demonstration in front of Jantar Mantar. They were always assured that tests would be conducted and a solution would be sought, but this proposal was thrust upon them without warning. Aspirants believe they were deceived and that more transparency would have allowed them to make an informed decision about whether or not to pursue this path. In order to put an end to the violence, the government should reach out to students and hear their viewpoints. A council of senior veterans and defence experts should be established to analyse the scheme's shortcomings and determine what is best for the country.

Views expressed are personal