‘Agnipath’ will be a new entry point for young people to join the Indian defence forces

*Paromita Das

Today, the Indian government unveiled the Agnipath scheme, a radical recruitment plan for the armed forces that aims to reduce wage and pension costs while also freeing up funding for critical weapon procurement. When the action was announced, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh called it “historic.” The plan was announced by the heads of the three services.

Personnel from all three services will be recruited in a significantly different manner under the new Agnipath program, which will go into effect immediately. Soldiers enlisted under the scheme will be known as Agniveers.

Under the scheme, recruitment will begin within 90 days.

“This is a major defence policy reform introduced by the government to usher in a new era in the three services’ human resource policies. The policy, which takes effect immediately, will govern future enrollment in the three services “According to a government statement.

The idea was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security on Tuesday morning. It will significantly reduce the country’s nearly 13-lakh-strong armed forces’ permanent force levels in the future.
Most Indian troops will be able to leave the service after only four years of service. Only 25% of each year’s 45,000 to 50,000 recruits will be allowed to continue under permanent commission for another 15 years. The decision will significantly reduce defense pension costs, which have long been an issue for governments.

What exactly is the Agnipath program?

Under the new programme, approximately 45,000 people between the ages of 17.5 and 21 will be recruited into the military and will serve for four years.

This four-year contract will include a six-month training period. During this time, they will be paid a monthly salary of Rs 30,000-40,000 plus allowances. They will also be entitled to medical and insurance benefits.

Only 25% of these troops will be retained after four years, and they will join the regular cadre, where they will serve in non-officer positions for a total of 15 years.

When they leave the service, the remaining employees will receive a package worth between Rs 1.1 million and Rs 1.2 million, but they will not be eligible for pension benefits.

If implemented, the proposal would significantly reduce the annual revenue and pension bill, which accounts for half of the Rs 5.2 trillion annual defense budget.

Military insiders warn against ‘Agnipath’ recruitment scheme

This short-term, reversible recruitment policy for the country’s military was announced despite opposition from serving and retired service officers who believe these “tourist soldiers” will harm the armed forces’ organizational ethos and operational effectiveness.

The latter are also concerned that this new plan will ‘degrade’ the overall character of the Indian armed forces, particularly the Indian Army (IA), which is expected to be the first to implement it, and have warned against its implementation.

The Department of Military Affairs (DMA), led by the late Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat, envisaged the ‘Tour of Duty’ (ToD) – or, more grandiosely, the Agnipath recruitment scheme – in 2020. Its primary goal was to reduce ballooning service pension payouts in order to save money on India’s shrinking annual defense budget and finance long-delayed military modernization.

The three service chiefs reportedly briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi last weekend on the four-year contractual recruitment of personnel below officer rank (PBOR), after which they would all be discharged. However, a quarter of all released jawans would be re-inducted for full-time employment, reducing pension payouts in the long run.

Pensions have been around a fifth of India’s overall defense budget for several decades. They have steadily increased in recent years as a result of hikes caused by sustained agitation by retired officers. For example, in fiscal year 2022-23, service pensions accounted for Rs 119,696 crore of the overall defense outlay of Rs 525,166, or 22.79%, leaving limited resources for acquiring desperately needed materiel or upgrading existing equipment.

After a short break of a few weeks or even months, a quarter of them would be shortlisted to complete their color service, entitling them to full retirement benefits. This would include, in addition to a pension, access to free medical care and subsidised commissary facilities throughout the country.

However, their previous four years of service would not be considered when determining their new pay and subsequent pension, potentially affecting savings in the future. For their part, the majority of discharged soldiers would receive a gratuity or severance package of around Rs 10 lakh each, as well as various training to enable them to pursue alternative careers. They would also be given preference in joining paramilitaries and state police forces, as well as other government jobs.

Finally, several service veterans stated that the obvious flaws in the proposed Agnipath scheme were “too obvious” for current military brass to overlook, despite their willingness to support populist plans. “Agnipath is blind curves that the military and government are negotiating without properly war gaming the consequences at a time when the country can least afford it,” a three-star officer warned. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it, he advised.