Indian military recruitment program
Agnipath Scheme (also spelled Agneepath Scheme) (, transl. Agnipath [Fireway] Scheme) is a tour of duty style scheme approved by the Government of India on 14 June 2022 and implemented in the country a few months later in September 2022, for recruitment of soldiers below the rank of commissioned officers into the three services of the armed forces. ;section begin="Lead" / ; All recruits will be hired only for a four year period. Personnel recruited under this system are to be called "Agniveers" (transl. Fire-Warriors), which will be a new military rank. The introduction of the scheme has been criticised for lack of consultation and public debate.
This scheme will bypass many things including long tenures, pension and other benefits which were there in old system. Opposition parties in India have criticised and expressed concerns about the consequences of the new scheme. They have asked the scheme to be put on hold and that the scheme be discussed in the Parliament.
Background.
Prior to the introduction of the scheme, soldiers were recruited into the armed forces on a 15+ year tenure with lifelong pension. From 2019, no recruitment in the armed forces was done for three years. The Indian Government cited COVID-19 pandemic in India for this. Meanwhile 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers continued to retire annually, leading to a personnel shortage that had begun to affect the operational capabilities of the armed forces.
In 2020 a 'Tour of duty' scheme was proposed for voluntary recruitment into the forces for civilians to enable them to join for three years of short service. The proposed scheme was on a trial basis and was planned to start with a test group of 100 officers and 1000 soldiers.
The scheme has been taken to be named after "Agnipath", a Hindi poem by Harivansh Rai Bachchan and a popular 1990 film of the same name based on the poem.
Overview.
The Agnipath scheme was approved by the Indian Government in June 2022 to be implemented from September 2022. The announcement was done on 14 June 2022. The scheme is for both male and female aspirants of age group 17.5 to 21 years. In the midst of widespread protests against the scheme, the Central Government raised the upper limit from 21 to 23, but only for recruitment in the year 2022. The recruitment through this scheme is to be twice a year for the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force. The posts available are below the officer cadre.
The recruits named "Agniveers" serve for a tenure of four years that include training for six months followed by 3.5 years deployment. After retirement from the service, they will have the opportunity to apply to continue in the armed forces. Not more than 25 percent of the total strength of the retiring batch will be selected for the permanent cadre. Personnel who retire after 4 years of service will not be eligible for pension, but will receive a lump sum amount of approximately ₹11.71 lakh at the end of tenure. The Indian government plans to recruit 45,000 to 50,000 new personnel every year through this scheme. In September 2022, 46,000 youngsters are planned to be recruited through the scheme.
Reservation and welfare benefits.
On 17 July 2022, Jammu and Kashmir's Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha announced a 10% reservation in Jammu and Kashmir Police service for those who retire after serving in the military under the Agnipath scheme.
On 12 July 2024, Central Industrial Security Force, Border Security Force and Railway Protection Force announced 10% reservation and age relaxation for former Agniveer soldiers. The reservation is also applicable within Central Armed Police Forces and Assam Rifles.
On 17 July 2024, Government of Haryana announced 10% reservation in the police force of Haryana Police, mining guards and forest guards. The state government also announced incentives for private sector for hiring agniveers. Age relaxation for government jobs in Group B and C categories was also announced along with a 5% reservation in Group C jobs. The state government has also interest benefits for businesses set up by retired military under the Agnipath scheme. The chief minister also promised priority in government departments, boards and corporation jobs.
On 26 July 2024, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced 10% reservation and a 5-year age relaxation for Agniveers in the state's uniformed services.
Criticism.
The scheme will not include long tenures, pensions, or other benefits that existed in the old system. Individuals aspiring to join Armed Forces were disappointed with the rules of the new scheme. The main causes of concern were the short length of service, no pension provisions for those released early, and the 17.5 to 21-year age restriction. Many of the current aspirants were rendered ineligible to serve in the Indian armed forces under these new rules.
Before the introduction of the new scheme for recruitment, Indian government did not produce any white papers. The scheme was neither debated in the parliament nor in the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence. No information about the scheme was given to the public prior to its announcement.
By political parties and activists.
"The Hindu" in its editorial, asked the scheme to be put on hold and stated, "If a soldier's job is now turned into contractual employment, it might not motivate aspirants who hope for job security, pension, and honour. The argument that defence should not be treated as an employment guarantee scheme is rhetorically impressive, but the fact is that from the manufacturing of arms to the employment of soldiers, the sector plays a critical role in the economy. For a country like India, where unemployment remains a major policy challenge, the concerns cannot be dismissed easily. The Government also faces the very credible charge that this is nothing more than a cost-cutting plan."
By state governments.
On 30 June Punjab Legislative Assembly passed a resolution recommending the state government that it urges the Union Government of India to immediately roll back the scheme. The resolution was opposed by BJP members of the assembly who were in minority. Punjab was the only state to pass such a resolution.
Data on employment of veterans.
Data from Director General Resettlement, Government of India - the nodal body responsible for rehabilitating retired military personnel, shows that states, Central public sector units, including defence PSUs, and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have failed to recruit against the vacancies reserved for veterans.
According to a Department of Personnel &amp; Training (DoPT) provision, 10 per cent of vacancies in Central government jobs in Group C and 20 per cent in Group D are reserved for veterans.
For public sector banks, Central public sector units, and CAPF, the reservation is 14.5 and 24.5 per cent, respectively. But, as of June last year, ex-servicemen constituted only 1.15% of the Group C strength and 0.3% of the Group D strength in 94 of the 170 CPSUs.
The picture is more dismal if Central ministries are taken into consideration. Between 32 Central ministries, only 1.60 per cent of the 22,168 positions reserved for veterans have been filled. For instance, the Indian Railways, one of the world's largest employers, could only fill 1.4 per cent (16,264 out of the 1.15 million) positions reserved for retired personnel of the armed forces. For the ten defence PSUs, where the Centre has announced a 10 per cent reservation for the Agnipath scheme, veterans constituted only 3.45 per cent and 2.71 per cent of Group C and Group D posts, respectively. Even the paramilitary forces haven't shown much interest in hiring veterans.
As of June 2021, only 0.62 per cent of positions reserved for veterans have been filled by the five wings of the paramilitary forces - Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
The states have also been unable to find jobs for military returns. For instance, by the end of 2020, Bihar, UP, Punjab and Haryana, which cumulatively account for 80 per cent of the Indian armed forces, have given jobs to only 1.5 per cent out of the 200,000 veterans who had registered for a job.
Protests.
On 14 June 2022, soon after the announcement of the scheme, violent protests erupted in several states in India where the army aspirants angry with the new scheme called for its rollback and damaged public property including buses and trains. This scheme evoked mixed reactions from army veterans mostly negative.
On 15 June 2022, the news of the protest was first reported from the state of Bihar where National highways and railway tracks were blocked by the protesters.
On 16 June 2022, violence was reported at Chhapra, Jehanabad, Munger and Nawada in Bihar. Army aspirants burnt down trains and buses. They set fire to train bogies in Kaimur and Chhapra districts, blocking train traffic in Siwan, Ara, Jehanabad, Nawada, Saharsha, Chhapra, and road traffic in some places. Later the protests along with violent incidents were reported in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and other states. More than 200 trains were affected by the protests, 35 trains have been cancelled and 13 trains were terminated short of their destination.
On 17 June, protesters attacked the house of the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Renu Devi. The mobs of young protesters went on a rampage and set fire to trains and other property after which Bihar government ordered internet shutdowns in 18 districts. More than 325 people were arrested in Bihar and 250 in Uttar Pradesh. 12 trains were set on fire, and the movement of 300 trains were affected. 214 trains were cancelled, 11 trains were diverted and 90 were terminated short of their destination. At least 1 person was killed in the protests.
A 19 year old protester was shot dead in Telangana. Internet was shut down in 12 districts of Bihar. In the BJP-ruled Haryana massive protest occurred in which the angry protesters threw stones at vehicles in Ballabhgarh, squatted on railway tracks to stop train movement in Jind and burnt tyres in Rohtak. In Uttar Pradesh hundreds of angry young protesters carried bamboo sticks and stones and stormed railway premises in several cities, blocked highways and targeted private vehicles.
On 18 June, protesters in Bihar called for a strike against the scheme. They clashed with the police and set fire to several vehicles since morning in Bihar. Train services were stopped in Bihar till 8 pm on 18 June. They will be stopped again from 4 am onwards on 19 June. More than 350 trains were cancelled across India as the violence continued in several states.
Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot leading the State Council of Ministers passed a unanimous resolution calling for the withdrawal of the scheme. In Kerala a large protest march was held in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode, against the scheme. The protesters said their strikes would continue till the Centre rolls back its decision and ensured justice.
Among the states, the worst incidents of violence occurred in Bihar, where the protesters set trains on fire, vandalised railway stations, and attacked BJP leaders' offices, homes, and cars. Two BJP MPs and eight BJP legislators (including two Deputy Chief Ministers) were given the third-highest level 'Y' Category security by the central government after approval by Narendra Modi.
Student organization like Students' Federation of India (SFI) organised took massive rallies and protests in several parts of country against the alleged anti youth scheme. There were protests in Delhi, UP, Haryana, Rajasthan and other parts of the country. SFI along with Democratic Youth Federation of India have called for a protests at Jantar mantar on 19 June.
On 19 June, Virendra Kumar, Chief Public relations officer, East Central Railway, told media that estimates of the damage to property are still being made, but approximately upwards of Rs 700 crore property has been damaged. He also said that five trains, 60 coaches and 11 engines have been burnt, railway is preparing a full report for the damage caused to property. In Karnataka, Police lathi-charged "Agnipath" protesters in Karnataka's Dharwad. Anti-'Agnipath' protests were also reported from other parts of Karnataka, such as Gokak and Belgaum districts. Patna District magistrate said 23 FIRs were registered and 147 arrests were made. He alleged the involvement of 3 coaching centres in the protests. Ludhiana Police termed the protests "planned conspiracy" as the Ludhiana Railway station was vandalised.
Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar called the new military recruitment scheme, "a scam" but added that the protests against it