The Agnipath scheme was launched in June 2022, and I had put forward my analysis that same month with the finding that it was a ‘bad scheme, marketed badly’. Two years have since passed and there is a lot of feedback, views and opinions both in favour and against the scheme, mainly from the veterans’ community.

There is an extreme division in the opinions ranging from ‘path breaking reforms’ on one hand to ‘scrap it’ on the other. Never before has an idea seen such polarization amongst the veterans. The negative opinion and the public outcry against the scheme to now political exploitation by the opposition parties has once again reignited the debate and brought it back to the centre stage of public discourse. However, the most important factor that has forced the government and the armed forces to review it has been the political cost that the scheme has extracted in the recently held national elections. That is exactly what I wrote in my article Back to the Drawing Board that appeared in the July 2022 issue of FORCE.

It would be appropriate if the Agnipath scheme is revisited, analysed with the experience till date, various options available going forward explored and then adopting a path that is logical, sustainable and in the best interests of the armed forces, the nation and the most important component of the scheme, the youth. While my earlier article covering the scenario up to 2052, is available on the FORCE website, it would be helpful to summarise its key takeaways:

The Last Two Years

Since its inception, the Agnipath scheme has been in the news for some reason or the other, be it to showcase the positives of the scheme or the supposedly great standard of Agniveers, their training, etc. The fact is that the army had no choice but to laud it because they had offered their shoulder to the government to fire the salvo in the first place. What is surprising is that the army continues to defend it even when it is under review.

The recent interview of the adjutant general spelt out ‘all is well’. Then why the review? He made it clear that the Agniveers were performing the same duties as regular soldiers which is a good thing. However, why, then, is there a disparity in their pay and allowances and compensation on death? The main issues are as follows: