The Agnipath Scheme: A Transformational excuse
The past 1 week has seen turmoil across India specially in the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Reading the first sentence, one would picture this turmoil owing to another set of religious sentiments being hurt and the public overreacting to it. This time around, the turmoil is caused by the introduction of a new scheme by the government in partnership with the defense forces known as ‘The Agnipath Scheme’. Generally, any scheme related to the defense forces in India is welcome with aplomb as it is the most revered profession across the country, but the Agnipath Scheme had different plans.
Agnipath Scheme is a new scheme introduced by the Government of India on 14 June 2022, for recruitment of soldiers below the rank of commissioned officers into the three services of the armed forces. The Agnipath Scheme will be the only route for recruitment into the military. Personnel recruited under this system are to be called Agniveers, which will be a new military rank. The catch of the scheme is that only 25% of the Agniveers will get extension to 15 years of service after 4 years of tenure and the rest of the agniveers will be phased out with a remuneration to allow them to ease back into public life. This scheme intends to lower the average age of the soldiers and also build the image of a young armed forces in India. While the furor caused by people across India is unjustified and people like them do not deserve to even get a chance to serve in the armed forces, there are multiple reasons which call for a second look at this scheme or a complete rollback as well.
1. Armed Forces is not a Profession: Unlike other professions, being in the defense forces is not a job. It becomes an emotion and addiction over the passage of time. There is no distinction between family and work when you are in the defense forces. The folklore of Gorkha Rifles, Punjab Regiment, Jak Rif will not have existed if the traditions of the regiments would not have been kept intact. These traditions stay intact, and the regiments become stronger with experience and not when it is treated as a 4-year job. By phasing out 75% of the agniveers after 4 years, there is nothing they can look forward to building in their regiments. In fact, mere remuneration and phasing out people who would have spent the best 4 years of their lives is not justified at all. Age may be on their side, but the aftereffects of leaving he defense forces is something which one cannot experience without being in this journey of transforming from a boy to a man.
2. Age is just a number: Younger average age of the armed forces looks impressive on paper, but it is not a guarantee of success in wars or defense establishment. Capt. Vikram Batra, PVC was 24 years old when he fought against the Pakistanis in 199 while his close aides who, under the new scheme would be known as Agniveers were all in the range of 28–34 years old. They were as fit and as capable with a more mature head than any 21-year-old who would experience a different fit altogether in situations like Kargil War.
3. It’s not all brawl and no brains: there is no doubt that the physical aspect in defense forces plays an integral part in the development of the soldier and having a young force has its advantages. Amidst all this, the government is missing out on the most important part that has led India to many victories in the war apart from bravery. It’s brains and experience. Without the experience and learned brain of the mature soldiers who learn the trade as they evolve into men in the defense forces, the victories in Kargil and Siachen would not have been possible. By letting people go after 4 years, we are simply eliminating the opportunity to hone great soldiers who can defend our country in any situation.
While a rollback of the scheme is not an ideal option, there is definitely scope for some tweaks in the Agnipath Scheme. The government should remove the barrier of ingesting only 25% of the agniveers. Instead, the influx of soldiers for a longer duration should be on their capability and vacancies available. This will also lead to scrutiny, but it will allow a fair deal of transparency and hope of establishing a family in the armed forces among his/her regiment without worrying about competing for selection in the top 25%
