Agnipath: Win-win to win-lose on mindless opposition?
From being a dream recruitment for millions of patriotic Indians and Indian defence forces alike, Agnipath is becoming more of Pani-path due to an opposition without a cause
The scheme is set to change not just India's armed forces but India as a nation as well; pic - Indian Army
On 14 June 2022, the Indian government heralded a recruitment scheme into the defence forces that could drastically improve the defence forces of the country within a short span of time and send down shivers down the enemy’s spine, which it already has looking at the calculated meaningless protests across some parts of the country.
Termed Agnipath, the scheme is a short-service selection for youth (aged 17.5 to 21 years) with a tenure of four years, which could be extended for the deserving candidates. This also means, there would be a ready bank of young soldiers (around a lakh or more in few years, ready for action, apart from another experienced bank working around the nation). Just for information, specialist forces like the commandos have a very limited tenure.
The government said the scheme will enable a youthful profile of the Armed Forces and make them more tech-savvy – voluntarily is the key word here. “It will provide an opportunity to the youth who may be keen to don the uniform by attracting young talent from the society who are more in tune with contemporary technological trends and plough back skilled, disciplined and motivated manpower into the society,” said a press statement.
The average age profile of Indian Armed forces is likely to come down by about 4-5 years in a few years, which would make India strong and enemies weak – countries that cannot replicate such schemes due to varied reasons. In several countries, a stint in the defence forces is mandatory, given its benefits — patriotism, team work, physical fitness, and availability of trained personnel to boost national security in times of external threats, internal threats and natural disasters.
I remember vividly, in the 90s, a career in defence forces used to be a dream for the best of students. Clearing the NDA (or the CDS) was an achievement unparalleled, even above IIT or AIIMS. For any of us, even a brief stint in the Army (or other defence forces) would give us the satisfaction of a lifetime. What was most attractive was the fearlessness, discipline and toughness that the defence forces imbibed. Money, etc, didn’t come into the picture at all. Getting into the Territorial Army was/is an almost impossible task for the normal private employee.
Against that backdrop, the current Agnipath scheme is like a dream come true with several bonuses. Let’s take a look at the key features:
- For Agniveers, who are still in their teens, the job will come with a monthly package (Rs3.6-4.8 lakhs per annum) along with Risk and Hardship allowances. How many people get that kind of a salary when they are 21?
- On completion of four years, Agniveers will be paid a one-time ‘SevaNidhi’ tax-free package of about Rs.11.7 lakhs – which itself could fetch around Rs.7,000 per month on fixed deposit interest).
- Non-contributory Life Insurance Cover of Rs.48 lakhs for the duration of their engagement period in the Indian Armed Forces – even top MNCs in India do not offer such cover.
- Up to 25% of each specific batch of Agniveers will be enrolled in regular cadre of the Armed Forces.
The Indian Army’s theme for 2022 is “In stride with the future” (read Lt Gen Manoj C Pande to be 29th Army Chief – MDDTimes). It is focusing on re-structuring and inducting modern weapon systems. Perhaps for the first time, the Indian Army is exploring and inducting emerging technologies (Artificial Intelligence or AI, Cyber Warfare, Robotics and Aerospace), which highlights the importance of tech-savvy youth in the army – a clear win-win.
Apart from this, the Ministry of Education will launch a three-year skill-based bachelor degree programme for serving defence personnel that will recognize the skill training received by them during their tenure in the defence establishments. Under this programme by IGNOU, 50% of the credits required for a graduate degree will come from the skill training – both technical and non-technical – received by the Agniveer, and the remaining 50 % will come from subjects like languages, Economics, History, Political Science, Public Administration, Sociology, Mathematics, Education, Commerce, Tourism, Vocational Studies, Agriculture and Jyotish, as also Ability Enhancement Courses on Environmental Studies and Communication Skills in English. It will be recognized both in India and abroad for employment and education.
Further, 10% of the job vacancies in Ministry of Defence will be reserved for Agniveers meeting the eligibility criteria — in the Indian Coast Guard, defence civilian posts and all the 16 Defence Public Sector Undertakings – Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) Limited, Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL), Mishra Dhatu Nigam (Midhani) Limited, Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVNL), Advanced Weapons & Equipment India Ltd. (AW&EIL), Munitions India Limited (MIL), Yantra India Limited (YIL), Gliders India Limited (GIL), India Optel Limited (IOL) and Troop Comforts Limited (TCL). This would be in addition to existing reservations for ex-servicemen.
These things, along with a one-time age extension, are actually a compromise and take out the “toughness” from the “army life” that the average patriotic youth aspires for and makes it another attractive “career”. But despite this, there have been protests in several states where the so-called opposition (read The need for a strong opposition – MDDTimes) is desperately unemployed and that awaited the directions of enemy nations to use their party workers to burn trains and destroy public property – just because we are a democracy and just because the “good” Indians never do anything to counter such protests – police as always are busy.
We aren’t discussing the cons here because it is a new scheme and applicants are free not to apply.
So, why did the protests erupt across the nation in a planned and almost simultaneous manner after a time that allowed “opposition parties” to devise another negative ploy that went against the nation in many ways. Why were there no spontaneous protests? Why did the police not do anything other than identifying the protesters in the aftermath?
It is high time, the opposition works for the nation and gains the lost trust of Indians. Also, it is high time, the “good” Indians are enabled a platform (at least an online) to counter such meaningless and harmful protests.
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