November 21, 2024

Will Agnipath Help The Army And The Recruits?

By Our Editorial Team
First publised on 2022-06-15 06:45:53

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The government has announced a radical change in the recruitment policy for the armed forces. Under the scheme called Agnipath, it will recruit non-officer personnel in all the three services from youngsters in the age group 17.5 years to 21 years. This recruitment will be a short service commission for four years after which 25% might be retained for a longer period up to 15 years and the rest will be released with a lump sum payment and a promise of bank loan to get them started in life after the military.

Although the government is mainly concerned with having a leaner military and avoid pension payments (pensions are eating up nearly 50% of the defence budget) that are given to personnel who serve for longer periods, short service commissions have become the norm worldwide as warfare tactics have changed and it is no longer required to have a large number of boots on the ground. Experts are divided on whether the shortened training period and short commissions will make the military less battle ready and affect the morale of the troops. But these are questions whose answers will only be known after the scheme is in operation for a few years.

The major problem is that what will the huge number of men and women, released from the units every four years, do after a life in the military. Will they have the skill sets to join the labour force? More importantly, will there be enough jobs to absorb them? Along with the question of not reducing the effectiveness of the military as a fighting force, the government will also have to ensure that those released after four years find gainful employment as they will still be in the prime of their life. With drastic changes in how wars will be fought in the future, any scheme that makes for a leaner, and perhaps meaner, military is worth employing. But the effect it has on the military and the life of those released after the short commission must be monitored closely.