On 14 June 2020, a revolutionary four-year short-term contractual engagement for soldiers, called “Agnipath”, was announced by the Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh. The three Service Chiefs were in attendance, displaying the armed forces being with the RM on the count.
Though announced on stage without a preamble, the scheme had been in the making for two years and considerably refined after in-house deliberations and a raging public debate led by the veterans. Its basic intent was to reduce the ever-increasing pension bill to manage the Defence Budget better.
Another aim was to change the profile of India’s armed forces to a more youthful one. It was also seen as an employment generation scheme. Undoubtedly, it’s a bold and radical reform regarding manpower management, but it’ll indeed have a cascading effect on our armed forces’ composition, culture and character.
Untested Reform without Validation
Armed forces have a tradition of following the time-tested process of conceptualisation, working out a strategy, trials on a suitable testbed, refinement, and a time-bound monitored execution. However, in this case, the above pre-requisite steps were not followed. What happened is that after an internal study, a “Tour of Duty” concept was proposed. It was presumed that the nation would thus have a large pool of disciplined workforce with varied skill sets who could also act as reservists in times of national emergency. Arguments in favour of the scheme claim that this exposure will make our citizens more rule-abiding and raise them above narrow regional and sectarian outlooks.
However, the scheme had a number of conceptual flaws that demotivated the youth from signing up. With only 25 % to be retained after serving for four years, the pernicious fear of being thrown out after four years was in everyone’s mind. Post-discharge benefits of a severance package of Rs 11.70 lakhs are barely enough to start an enterprise that allows stability in life. Though the Home Minister was quick to assure lateral absorption of 25-30% of these Agniveers into the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), the history of such absorption, so far, has been too bleak to inspire confidence.
HR experts argue that this short-term engagement has to be made more attractive to ensure quality intake. What is suggested is a merit-driven permanent absorption of 50% of the intake, a more substantial severance package, a contributory pension scheme, and preference for Agniveers in all fields of government employment, including absorption in CAPFs with seniority protection.
The Agnipath scheme has its advocates, too. Capt Alok Bansal, a Navy Veteran currently heading the India Foundation, explains the contradictions in his article: “The human mind always resists transformation, and all changes have been opposed by those benefiting from the status quo, more so in organisations with an entrenched mindset like the armed forces.”
Bansal added that the veterans’ accusation hinges on the claims of the government diluting professionalism in the armed forces since the new recruitment process would result in mixed units-which will lack cohesion and reduce their operational effectiveness. However, a careful examination shows that most apprehensions are misplaced. As regards regimentation, there are mixed units operational in the army, which have in no way performed lesser than the ‘pure’ regiments.
There is also an apprehension that this youth, trained to handle firearms and explosives if not gainfully employed after being released, could “join militias with political agendas”. However, a young man of 24-25, with a far broader exposure than his peer group, having led a disciplined life, and with far better employability than youth from similar backgrounds, is hardly expected to join politically motivated militias voluntarily. More significantly, this ‘TOD’, coupled with the money received, gives him a better takeoff platform.
Issues with ‘Tour of Duty’
The scheme’s attractiveness has been considerably reduced with a take-home monthly salary of Rs 21,000 (starting pay of Rs 30,000 less taxes and compulsory deductions). An Agniveer, who stakes his life for the country, is thus placed even below a lower division clerk, who takes home a cool 3ok plus. An even harsher rule entails that an Agniveer will be thrown out if his medical category is lowered permanently, even if the cause is attributable to service. Consequently, an Agniveer who loses a limb or more fighting the enemy would leave the service with mere insurance of a few lakh rupees and no assurance of rehabilitation.
Transforming `Agniveers’ into an opportunity
Lt Gen HS Panag, former Northern and Central Army Commander, feels this scheme could transform the forces if implemented wisely. He suggests certain changes, including “Recruiting the best on merit and enhancing the minimum education qualification to 10+2”. He feels the starting pay package of Rs 30,000 (net, after deductions), with fixed annual increments and a substantial death/disability package, is reasonable. Still, dearness allowance (DA) should be added to it. He adds that the severance package could be enhanced to 20 lakhs, as it is a one-time expenditure. Tenure increase and giving them Ex-Servicemen status are easily amendable shortcomings. Also, post-retirement incentives to Agniveers need to be addressed, as does the need to pass a law for affirmative absorption by the private sector/corporate employers.
The Way Forward
Seeing the government’s resolve to make it succeed, it is clear that Agnipath could be the only mode of recruitment for the armed forces for many years to come. The training centres where these Agniveers are trained to become soldiers are now commanded by the best-qualified brigadier-rank officers, thus ensuring that motivation and training standards are always kept high.
For now, it is time to catch the bull by the horns and seize the opportunity to bring about holistic reforms without compromising the quality of soldiering!
Col (Dr) Bhasker Gupta (Retd)
