Govt unveils radical 'Agnipath' recruitment scheme for soldiers

New Delhi: The government on Tuesday unveiled a "transformative" scheme--"Agnipath"-- for the recruitment of soldiers in the Army, Navy and the Air Force largely on a four-year short-term contractual basis, in a major overhaul of the decades-old selection process to bring in fitter and younger troops to deal with future security challenges facing the nation.

Under the scheme, around 46,000 soldiers will be recruited this year between the ages of 17 and a half years and 21 years into the three services, the defence ministry said.

The recruitment will be based on an "all India, all-class" basis that is set to change the composition of several regiments that recruit youths from specific regions as well as castes such as Rajputs, Jats and Sikhs.

After completion of the four-year tenure of the recruits, the scheme provides for retaining 25 per cent of each specific batch for regular service, based on organisational requirements and policies promulgated by the armed forces from time to time.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh provided details of the new initiative at a media briefing in the presence of three service chiefs shortly after the Prime Minister-headed Cabinet Committee on Security approved the scheme that the government said would allow "patriotic and motivated" youth to serve in the armed forces for four years.

"Under the 'Agnipath' scheme, Indian youth will be provided an opportunity to serve in the armed forces as 'Agniveer'. This scheme has been brought to strengthen the security of the country. It is a transformative scheme," Singh said, and added that it will enhance the combat potential of the armed forces with a younger profile and technologically adept soldiers.

Describing it as a major defence policy reform to usher in a "new era" in the human resource policy of the three services, the defence ministry said the scheme comes into immediate effect and will govern the enrolment for the three services for the recruitment process for personnel below officer rank (PBOR).

The scheme was known at the proposal stage as the 'Tour of Duty' (ToD).

The monthly salary of an 'Agniveer' in the first year of employment would be Rs 30,000 and the in-hand amount would be Rs 21,000 as Rs 9,000 would go to a corpus and the government will make an equal contribution per month.

Subsequently, the monthly salary in the second, third and fourth year will be Rs 33,000, Rs 36,500 and Rs 40,000 respectively. Each 'Agniveer' will get an amount of Rs 11.71 lakh as the 'Sevathe Nidhi Package' and it will be exempted from the income tax.

The scheme is also expected to cut the ballooning salary and pensions bills of the armed forces as there will be no entitlement to gratuity and pensionary benefits.

The defence budget of Rs 5,25,166 crore for 2022-23 included Rs 1,19,696 crore for defence pensions.

The allocation for revenue expenditure was Rs 2,33,000 crore. The revenue expenditure includes expenses on payment of salaries and maintenance of establishments.

When asked whether the scheme was aimed at cutting the pension bill of the armed forces, Singh said government will always make available adequate resources for the three services and there was no question of shortage of funds for them.

The recruits will be provided non-contributory life insurance cover of Rs 48 lakh for the duration of their engagement period in the armed forces, according to the defence ministry.

The four-year tenure under the new scheme will include around two-and-a-half months to six months of training periods.

The ministry said 'Agniveers' would form a distinct rank in the armed forces, different from any other existing ranks.

Lt Gen Anil Puri, additional secretary in the Department of Military Affairs said the new recruitment scheme is set to bring down the average age of a soldier from the current 32 years to 24-26 years in six to seven years.

"The new process will herald a paradigm shift in our recruitment process and will necessitate changes in the way we impart training to our recruits and soldiers, in enhancing their combat potential," Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande said at the joint briefing.

He said there will be "no compromise" on physical, medical and professional standards and parameters that were in place for the recruitment of soldiers in the Army.

"I want to assure you that during the implementation and stabilisation of the Agnipath scheme, the Army's operational capabilities and preparedness along the borders and the ability to deal with internal security challenges will be fully maintained," he said.

"We will institute a fair, transparent and scientific method in screening the initial intake for four years and apply similar yardsticks to select those who will get re-enrolled," Gen Pande said.

The Army Chief said he was confident that the change will bring "new vigour and confidence" to the force and help in making it stronger and more capable and that a fair, transparent and scientific method will be put in place for screening the initial intake.

"The scheme, one of the most significant initiatives, aims to make the Army a future-ready fighting force, capable of meeting multiple challenges, across the full spectrum of conflict," Gen Pande said.

He said an enhanced youthful profile of the Army that is a "reduction in average age from 32 to 26 years" will be achieved over a period of time.

The defence minister said all the "Agniveers", after completion of the four-year tenure, will have a bright prospect of getting employment in various states and the private sector.

Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said women will also be inducted into the armed forces under the new scheme.

Officials, however, added that the recruitment of women will depend on the needs of the services.

"As far as the Navy is concerned, the Agniveers will provide a steady and continuous infusion of unbridled vitality, enthusiasm and new-age abilities of youth," Admiral Hari Kumar said.

Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari said the IAF is looking to tap into the source of dynamic young people and it will train and expose them to the high tech environment and hone their skills for future employment.

"The new scheme, therefore, gives the IAF an opportunity to draw from the vast pool of talent available in the country," he said.

Several military veterans criticised the scheme saying a pilot project should have been implemented initially before a full rollout.

"Death knell for armed forces, ToD not tested, NO pilot project, straight implementation. Will also lead to Militarization of society, nearly 40,000(75 per cent) youth year on year back rejected & dejected without a job, semi-trained in arms ex Agniveers. Not a good idea. No one gains," tweeted Lt Gen (retd) Vinod Bhatia.

Senior BJP leaders and Union ministers lauded the launch of the scheme as a "revolutionary" initiative, with Home Minister Amit Shah asserting that it will provide youngsters with a wonderful opportunity to make a "golden tomorrow" for themselves and the country.

BJP national president J P Nadda said,"the government under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi has announced the 'Agnipath' scheme allowing our youth to serve in the military forces for a certain duration. This will help our youth to instil discipline in themselves and to help the nation effectively." Describing it as a farsighted decision, Shah said this will make India's young population disciplined, skilled, fit and financially empowered to make them self-reliant. This will be a foundation of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' in a true sense, he said and dubbed it a "revolutionary initiative".

In a statement, the defence ministry said the scheme will enhance the youthful profile of the Armed Forces and provide a fresh lease of 'Josh' (enthusiasm) and 'Jazba' (zeal) whilst at the same time bringing about a transformational shift towards more tech-savvy armed forces which it said is the need of the hour.

The enrolment will be undertaken through an online centralised system for all three services with specialised rallies and campus interviews from recognised technical institutes such as industrial training institutes and national skills qualifications framework, among others.

The ministry said enrolment will be based on 'all India, all class'.

"The dividends of short military service to the nation, society and the youth of the nation are immense. This includes the inculcation of patriotism, teamwork, enhancement of physical fitness, ingrained loyalty for the country and availability of trained personnel to boost national security in times of external threats, internal threats and natural disasters," the ministry said.

It said the applications will be considered in a centralised manner based on objective criteria including performance during their four-year engagement period and up to 25 per cent of each specific batch of 'Agniveers' will be enrolled in regular cadres of the armed forces.

It said the selection will be the exclusive jurisdiction of the armed forces.

Currently, the Army recruits young people under the short service commission for an initial tenure of 10 years which is extendable up to 14 years.