Explained: Agnipath Scheme – A Boon or a Bane?

Hello defence lovers! Since the government announced the Agnipath scheme of recruitment, protests have broken out all over India. In some places, these protests have become violent. In this article, we will try to understand why Agnipath Scheme is facing such a backslash from some defence aspirants.

Violence is not the solution!

It is our utmost request to every defence aspirant who are enraged over the Agnipath Scheme, to stop any violent activity. We request all the defence aspirant not to indulge in any activity which damages public/private property or hurts anyone. Defence aspirants are the future of the armed forces. They are the future protectors of our country. The constistution gives us the right to protest but peacefully!

Before proceeding forward, we would request you to first understand what the Agnipath Scheme is actually. Click Here to read

Advantages Of The Agnipath Scheme

• The concept of “Tour of Duty” is a popular concept among many modern militaries across the globe. In some countries, there is a provision for mandatory military service for all adults for a certain time period. The Agnipath Scheme is a brilliant amalgamation of these two schemes.
• The main aim of the Agnipath scheme is to reduce the average age of the armed forces and cut the cost of mention. The average age of the soldiers in the Indian army is somewhere around 33 years. This scheme will bring it down below 30 years.
• This scheme will allow lots of defence aspirants to get a taste of the armed forces. One should note that armed forces only take in the “best of the best” candidates. The aspirants can serve to their fullest potential to be in that 25 per cent who will be selected for permanent commission.
• Moreover, having a youth who has military training has a great advantage. The discipline that the armed forces embed into the recruits is incomparable to any other institution and this discipline remains lifelong. The mere exposure to the military culture transforms all cadets. those who have appeared for any SSB can very much relate to this fact.
• Over time, this scheme will turn a huge chunk of the population that will have at least basic arms training and exposure to a combat environment. In case of any major conflict, where the Indian armed forces fall short of manpower, Agniveers will answer the nation’s call of duty.

Why Agnipath Is Necessity?

• Our army is the second-largest army in the world, however, is not that well equipped. The frontline soldiers are however as well equipped as they can be, but one cannot fight a full-blown two-front war with frontline soldiers only. With the Agnipath scheme, the government aims to cut the manpower to save money to modernise its military. Over 60 per cent of the defence budget is spent on paying salaries and pensions and the amount spent on pensions is more than that spent on salaries. In such a scenario, maintaining a 1.4 million army is not an easy task. Moreover, the battles of the future will be technology-driven and could no longer be won by sheer manpower.
• The United States military has a budget which is 10 times greater than that of us, yet they use the tour of duty concept. This is one of the key reasons why they are able to spend such huge amounts on research and development. In China, there is a forced conscription model, which does not guarantee job security. However, the refusal of forced conscription can have devastating consequences.
• The armed forces are not committed to job security but rather committed to the defence of the nation.

Insecurities of the Aspirants

• In the rural and sub-urban areas of India, serving in the armed forces is seen as a social status. The family of the soldiers receives huge respect. Most the candidates never think of the economic benefit of serving in the armed forces. The motivation of most of them is wearing the uniform and serving the country. However, their job provides economic security to their family and plays a huge role in their social upliftment. Hence, an aspirant is prone to these social insecurities.
• Job security is the main cause of opposition from the aspirants. The armed forces earlier offered job security with a good standard of living. As now 75% of Agniveers will have to retire from the armed forces after their tenure, the fear of unemployment is hitting the aspirants.
• Union government along with state government have announced various opportunities for the Agniveers. These include reservations in CAPF, Assam rifles and Various Defense PSUs.
• The Agnipath scheme provides a good way to kick start the carrier. When the Agniveers will retire, they will have a good amount of money in their accounts at an age where an average engineering graduate struggles to find a job. The agniveers will be capable of financing themselves for higher education.
• It is not that Agniveers will be the first people who will have to face early retirement. Many officers recruited from Short-Service-Commissions are already facing these problems.
• However, those candidates who had cleared their physical and medicals before the pandemic and were waiting for the final stages must not be dismissed. It would be an injustice if these selections are declared null and void. We appeal to the Indian Armed Forces & MoD to look into the matter.

Hidden Agenda?

• Sadly we live in a country, where the armed forces are questioned for their every move made in the national interest. Here the army has to prove its surgical strikes and Airforce has to give a headcount of terrorists killed in air strikes. The media and so-called “intellectuals” are concerned about the human rights of the Pakistan-sponsored terrorist responsible for killing innocent civilians and brave soldiers and policemen.
• Those who are blaming the government for the scheme must note that it is the Army that has proposed the concept of the tour of duty. And after extensive research and brainstorming, it was presented before the government for approval. The government has just approved the idea which the forces feel necessary to implement.
• The violence in the country is located in a few hotspots. The role of the coaching mafia behind these coordinated destructions of public property cannot be ignored. This Agnipath scheme will adversely affect their business models as they cannot sell dreams of lifetime lavishness to aspirants anymore.
• The intelligence agencies have also tracked Pak-sponsored social media handles spreading fake news and rumours to add fuel to this violence. One should note that the so-called defence aspirants involved in these violent protests are nothing less than “terrorists”. The destructors of public property can never be public servants. Pelting stones at the security forces is unforgivable especially when the stone pelters are pelting stones to join security forces.

Conclusion

The Indian armed forces know what is best for the country’s defence. We are not even qualified enough to comment on the decision taken after thorough research and brainstorming of hundreds of highly experienced officers. Who are we to even question that? The forces are not a democratic organisation. It cannot be run on what the people want. It will do the right thing required to ensure the safety and security of our nation.

The comment section is open for the thoughts, opinions and feelings of our viewers.