Smruti Deshpande

On June 14, defence minister Rajnath Singh along with the three service chiefs held a press conference to announce the Cabinet Committee on Security’s (CCS) decision to implement the new recruitment process for the youth in the armed forces. This provision, earlier deemed as the ‘Tour of Duty’, will now be referred to as the Agnipath scheme.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh along with the three service chiefs announcing the Agnipath scheme

Under the scheme, the three armed forces—the army, navy and air force will now recruit soldiers called the ‘Agniveers’ for a period of four years with six months of training. The eligible age for enrolment will be between 17.5 to 21 years.

Following violent protests by the youth all over the country, the government, three days after the announcement, changed the upper age limit to 23 years as a one-time waiver. At the end of four years, 25 per cent of the total number of these soldiers would be retained. These new recruits will have a different insignia and a distinct rank. Once the youth have served their time, they will not get the ex-servicemen status.

At the end of four years, the youth will be given a Seva Nidhi Package as well as a ‘Death and Disability’ package. The yearly pay package will amount to Rs 4.76 lakh in the first year. Gradually, with an increase every year, this package will amount to 6.92 lakhs in the fourth year. On completion of the service, the recruits will have earned Rs 11.7 lakhs including contribution and interest.

The government stated that among ‘other allowances’, the recruits will be given a ‘risk and hardship’ package as well. The government will be doling out 30 per cent, same as Agniveers towards emoluments. The scheme will be exempt from income tax. The government intends to give a Class-12 certificate to Agniveers upon the completion of their term.

The government has stated that once Agniveers exit the forces, they will revert to society as ‘disciplined, trained and skilled citizens’. The stress has also been given on the fact that during the recruitment medical and physical fitness standards will remain as per extant norms. The recruitment will see a ‘robust assessment system’ which will be transparent, objective, automated and centrally maintained. The genesis of the introduction of such a scheme lies in two facts—the government wants to reduce pension bills and lower the age profile of the armed forces by about five years. The cost-saving, the government has argued, will enable the forces to modernise themselves with the state-of-the-art equipment. The chief of the army staff said, “An enhanced youthful profile of the a