DNA Explainer: Fears around Agnipath scheme, what we know so far

Kar shapath, Kar shapath, Kar shapath!!! Agnipath, Agnipath, Agnipath!!! - These are the famous lines of the legendary Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan. Well, while penning down this he may not have in his wildest of dreams thought that one day the word 'Agnipath' would become the talk of the town and hit headlines for all the good and bad reasons.

The word Agnipath, meaning the path of fire, has been used by the Narendra Modi government for one of its recruitment schemes. The Central government on Tuesday, announced the Agnipath scheme for the armed forces as a short-term recruitment plan. Under this, successful candidates will join the armed services for four years, after which only 25% of them will be retained for the next 15 years.

Read | By 2032, 50% Agniveer in Army, 1.5 lakh recruitments every year: Vice Chief of Army Staff BS Raju

While there are many takers of the scheme, several - including potential recruits, ex-servicemen, some defence experts and Opposition leaders are criticising it tooth and nail. The scheme is aimed at applicants aged between 17 to 21 years who want to join the Indian armed forces.

The move is aimed at cutting the army's expenditure on salaries and pensions which consume more than half of its budget. The government says the funds thus saved will be used to modernise the forces. The government argues that this scheme will not only increase the fitness of the army but would also 'enhance the youthful profile of the forces'.

But many potential army recruits think otherwise and say the Agnipath scheme does very little to create jobs and opportunities. 

What are the biggest concern areas?

1. The biggest concern is, what happens after the completion of four years of service. Will they be able to find another job? The Agnipath scheme will recruit about 45,000 soldiers into Indian Army, Navy and Air Force in the first year on a short-term contract of four years. After the completion of the contract, 25% of them will be retained and the rest will have to leave the forces.

However, addressing the issue, the Union Home Ministry said that these Agniveers will be given priority in recruitment to central armed police forces and Assam Rifles.

2. Another pertinent question that has been raised is whether such recruits joining the armed forces under the Agnipath scheme will remain motivated. Those hired under the scheme will be given a one-time lumpsum of a little above Rs 11 lakh when they end their four-year tenure. However, they do not receive any pension benefits which is considered one of the lucratives of a government job.

3. One genuine concern is that the armed forces will lose experienced soldiers. The Agniveers, as they will be called will be given technical training so that they are able to support the ongoing operations. But these personnel will leave after four years, which could create a void. However, those related to the subject say that such recruits will not be utilised for the highly technical job.

4. There is also a concern that this may divide the forces into two groups - the short term recruits and the permanent soldiers and they may have difficulty in gelling with each other. But armed forces being a highly sensitive service needs full dedication and cohesiveness.

5. Some critics, including military generals and defence experts say Agnipath scheme could weaken the structure of the army and could have serious ramifications for national security, especially when India has tense borders with two of its hostile neighbours, Pakistan and China.

6. Some critics say that while it is good to save money, it should not be done at the cost of defence forces. They say a person with four years of training will not be able to replace an experienced soldier on his death during a war.

7. Keeping the tenure as four years and denying gratuity and denial of ex-servicemen status for benefits/privileges along with a health scheme. 

Positive points of Agnipath scheme

1. The basic intent of the scheme is to reduce the burgeoning pension bill for better management of the defence budget.

2. It will provide a youthful profile to the armed forces as th scheme is aimed at applicants aged between 17 to 21 years.

3. Politically, the Agnipath scheme is also seen as an employment generation scheme that clashes with the original intent. 

4. A second merit-driven selection procedure for 25% of the Agniveers for permanent absorption will further improve the quality of permanent soldiers.