The Indian government on Tuesday unveiled its new Agnipath scheme for recruiting soldiers across the three services.
The soldiers recruited under the scheme will be called Agniveers and the scheme under effect immediately.
What is the Agnipath scheme?
Under the new scheme, around 45,000 to 50,000 soldiers will be recruited annually, and most will leave the service in just four years.
Of the total annual recruits, only 25 per cent will be allowed to continue for another 15 years under permanent commission.
The move will make the permanent force levels much leaner for the over 13-lakh strong armed forces in the country.
This will, in turn, considerably reduce the defence pension bill, which has been a major concern for governments for many years.
The Agniveers recruited under the scheme would form a distinct rank in the armed forces. It will be different from the existing ranks.
Post four-year service, they will be offered an opportunity to apply for permanent enrolment in the Armed Forces.
However, not everyone will be accepted to serve full term in the Army and that has become the bone of contention.
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Why Protests Against Agnipath?
An employment scheme directed at involving the nation’s youth in the armed forces doesn’t seem like a bad idea but its proposal of the recruitment of jawans on a contractual basis for a four-year period followed by compulsory retirement for most without gratuity and pension benefits is drawing anger from army aspirants.
Speaking to news agency ANI over taking part in the agitation, a protester voiced concerns over next step after serving in the Army for four years as only 25 per cent of soldiers will be enrolled in the regular cadre.
“Where will we go after working for only 4 years? We will be homeless after 4 years of service. So we have jammed the roads; the country’s leaders will now get to know that people are aware,” a protester in Jehanabad said.
Another protesters said, “We work hard to get inducted into the Armed forces. How will the service be for 4 years, with months of training and leaves? How will we protect the nation after getting trained for just 3 years? Govt has to take back this scheme,”
Another defence job seeker in Munger urged government to withdraw the Agnipath scheme so that recruitment in the Armed Forces can be carried out the way it was done earlier. “We demand that the recruitment be done as it used to be done earlier, Tour of Duty (ToD) be rolled back and exams be held as earlier. Nobody will go to Army just for four years,” the protester told ANI.
The report added that people were also protesting against the reduced age limit for recruits. Under the new policy, recruits have to be aged between 17.5-21 years. Soldiers’ recruitment in the armed forces has been suspended for over two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic and protesters said people awaiting recruitment for over two years should be given relaxation in age-limit.
It has also been highlighted that the idea that soldiers released after four years would easily find private sector jobs is flawed.
The scheme has also come under scrutiny and drawn criticism and questions from several quarters, including a section of veterans. Critics have argued that a four-year tenure will hit fighting spirit in the ranks and make them risk-averse.
Trains were set afire, rail and road traffic disputed, window panes of buses smashed, and passersby, including a ruling BJP MLA, pelted with stones by angry youth demanding the withdrawal of the new short-term recruitment scheme. Violent protests have now spread to multiple states across the country.
Baton-wielding protestors smashed glass windows of the intercity express train at Bhabhua Road railway station and set one coach on fire. Holding a banner saying “Indian Army lovers,” they raised slogans rejecting the new recruitment scheme.
In Jehanabad, students pelted stones injuring several people including cops who chased them away to clear the railway tracks where they had camped to disrupt rail traffic. Dramatic visuals from the railway station showed the police and protesting students pelting stones at each other. The cops also pointed their guns at the protesters to scare them away.
In Nawada, groups of young men burnt tyres at a public crossing and raised slogans demanding the rollback of the tour of duty scheme. They also blocked the railway tracks at the Nawada station and burnt tyres on the track. Visuals from the spot show a huge crowd damaging railway property and shouting expletives at PM Modi. Many can be seen doing pushups on the railway tracks while the police try to appeal for peace through a handheld public address system.