Agnipath (Tour of Duty): News & Discussion

[ramana]

Just hyper post on Twitter.
DF didn't say anything controversial.

[ramana]

TOIlet article above is quite a good explanation. The retired officers blew their tops without data.

[ks_sachin]

• We have about 500 million people aged 25 or below and the average age in our army is close to 35.
• Most of our defense budget goes to payroll, of which the larger portion is for pensions.
• We are a modern nation with caste-based regiments.
• And we have 2 heavily armed neighbors, united in enmity to us.

The Agnipath recruitment scheme is pretty similar to that used by many professional militaries including our erstwhile British masters whose colonial legacies we have been carrying on. Ironically, the Brits experimented far more with the structure of the Indian army than we did with what they left us.
This scheme will be seen as a no-brainer.

Which caste based regiment?
Regional and linguistic similarities yes but overt caste basis for composition?

[banrjeer]

joining this late..seems like a positive.
anyone thinks the the tiny law enforcement, private security etc will benefit from this over time?
law and order has been lacking

[chetak]

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ind ... 257906.cms
Please look at the Cons list as per TOIlet.......

If you one can recollect Gopal (cant get his surname but the one who organised the hindus for fight back), the Shantidooths and their Fourfathers are worried there could be in excess of 30,000 Gopals!!

He was Gopal Mukherjeealso known as Gopal Patha ( Goat).

Partition Voices:Gopal 'Patha' Mukherjee

Full interview of Gopal Mukherjee or Gopal Patha, man who saved #Bengal after Direct Action Day. He and his band of young men responded to the murdering, rioting Islamist hordes in the only language they understand: blood for blood, life for life.


listen to the link below

https://www.andrewwhitehead.net/partiti ... erjee.html

[ramana]

Folks stick to the arguments made for and against the Army. IAF and IN we don't see too many arguments.

Rest is extra. And some not germane.
#1 Lowers the average age from 30 years to 26 years.
#2 Initial intake will be 3% rising to 50%. IOW 50 % recruitment is still traditional.
#3 Lowers the pension outgo.
#4 After 4 years the soldiers have to pass an exam to continue their service.
#5 Regimental ethos not changing.

Extras are availability of trained manpower form the 75% .
IAF recruits could add to the trained personnel for aircraft.
IN recruits could join Mechant marine and dockside operations.
Negatives
#1 Takes 7 years to train a soldier.
#2 Regimental ethos will crumble..
#3 Really bad even if I don't know. Why change a good thing? Aka why fix something not broken.
What else?

[ks_sachin]

Ramana sir,

Is not another data point that combat arms will see less of these contract soldiers.
PRedominantly will go to combat support arms?

[ShauryaT]

khan seem to have a five year service plan for westpoint/colo springs/Annapolis cadets.

hnair: The cadets who pass out from West Point and similar institutes of other services, come out with an undergraduate degree and join their forces as Officers. In fact there is another program called ROTC, where students pursue a general degree in colleges/universities paid for by khan with students committing to doing additional training to become officers with a commitment to serve for 4-5 years after graduation as officers.

My understanding is the Agnipath program is for soldiers only and not part of the officer track. IMO: India needs a similar program, as we have a shortfall there.

Having said that, support the Agnipath program and I will state some harsher truths as I see them.

1. For long the soldiers who join the military have used it as en employment guarantee scheme along with caste/class affiliations and perpetrate the colonial martial races theory and this program will act as a decisive blow to that mindset. A changing India needs these "transformative" changes. One becomes a Kshatriya through action and this "lifelong" notion of varna was never a part of our ancient systems. One changes their Karmas and changes their Varna accordingly. Being moribund leads to stagnation of society, fungibility allows one to adapt and thrive.
2. Our defense budgets are personnel costs heavy affecting our firepower capabilities and this seems to be a nice way to add to the capital side of the budget
3. Truth be told, weeding out 75% of the least desirable will make the forces stronger.

Apologies, if I have hurt anyone's feelings but the above is from what serves the interest of security the best. Certainly not a win-win for all. The only losers in this are the folks who wanted permanent employment and they are rioting on the streets. Sorry the world is competitive and GOI has to stop acting as mai baap. Wish they do something similar on the administration side of affairs.

[ramana]

Ramana sir,

Is not another data point that combat arms will see less of these contract soldiers.
PRedominantly will go to combat support arms?

At a cursory glance looks like that as the whole gamut of training etc would imply combat support arms.

[ramana]

From a lurker

"@ramana_brf Ji

Someone close to the first CDS asked “Are we sure that something is not broken?" He answered "If nothing is broken why aren’t we ready to do anything at any point of time?”

Secondly in USA it takes maximum 1yr for infantry soldier - 32Wks basic & advanced training + 16 Wks active duty.

Why does Indian solder need 7yrs to become a soldier?"

Heck, with 7 years experience can become a BRF admin!

[ramana]

In fact Rifleman Sanjay Kumar was 19 years old when he won PVC in Kargil. Lt Arun Khetrapal was 21 in 1971 war. At Galwan, Gurupreet Singh was 21.

It's just nonsense to say need 7 years to become a soldier.

[ramana]

Prasar Bharat site:

‘Agnipath’ offers a triple-win situation for all- youth, society and nation, maintain the Generals


The much talked about government’s transformative new recruitment scheme ‘Agnipath’ is inviting huge appreciations from both serving and retired army officers. In a tweet, vice chief of Army staff, Lieutenant General BS Raju extolled it, saying Impact of ‘Agnipath’ would be in terms of giving opportunity for Indian Army to get younger, fitter and probably much more tech-savvy, which best suits to the need of the hour.

Lieutenant General BS Raju has said that the beauty of this scheme is that it’s going to be introduced in a slow and steady manner. In the 1st year we’re getting around 40,000 recruits and these recruits will be selected pan-India and will go through 6 months of training. Thereafter they will serve for 3.5 years. At the end of 4 years, 25% of the people would be retained, who we think have the attitude and aptitude to stay in the Army.

Director-General of National Cadet Corps (NCC), Lieutenant General Gurbirpal Singh said that the new ‘Agnipath’ scheme for recruitment in the armed forces will provide a good opportunity to National Cadet Corps cadets, as under this scheme, NCC cadets have a good opportunity to become ‘Agniveer’ for four years and they can follow other professions afterwards, adding that the main aim of this scheme is to make youth responsible citizen.

Chief of Staff Eastern Command Lieutenant General KK Repswal has said the Army’s recruitment process for the Agnipath scheme will be the same as it was earlier and no compromises will be made in educational and physical standards, dispelling the doubt of a certain corner that relatively shorter training period of Agniveer, may be compromising with the established quality training being ensured presently in the army.

Explaining the scheme Lieutenant General KK Repswal said that recruited soldiers will have to serve for 4 years and after that, they will be required to make an exit, of which 25% will be retained and this cadet can thereafter join the organization like any normal soldier.

Appreciating the Agnipath scheme, Eastern Air Commander Air Marshal DK Patnaik has said that this scheme for the youth is a win-win-win situation for all- the individual joining Armed Forces, for the forces who employ her/him and a win for the nation too, so it’s not just a win-win situation, but a triple-win situation.

Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta expressed his happiness over the scheme, saying the training programme under the Agnipath scheme for recruitment and career opportunities in the Indian armed forces, would comprise of various training sessions including basic, sea and professional training. Hence, there wouldn’t be any compromise in the training process. He further added that the Agniveer program would have 16 weeks of basic training, two weeks of sea training and 16 weeks of professional training. After finishing all the training sessions, we will be employing them for their duties.

It is to be noted that the government announced this very reformative recruitment schemes on June 14. The recruitment to the three Armed Forces will be done under the national Agnipath scheme, doing away with regional quotas.

Hence, ‘Agnipath’- an attractive and transformative defence recruitment scheme of the Government of India, may prove to be a game changer for the Indian defence system. Now, soldiers recruited in the defence forces under this recruitment policy, will be termed as ‘Agniveers’ – a distinct rank in the Armed Forces, different from any other existing ranks. Under the new scheme, government is trying to create a youthful profile of the Armed forces.

This way the newly recruited youth would be better able to be trained with newer technologies, which has enough prospects to transform the armed forces into youthful, techno- savvy and modern because even an infantry soldier now needs to be technologically advanced to use the whole range of weapons and communication devices. The scheme envisages to reduce the average age profile of Indian Armed forces by about 4-5 years among many other benefits.

[ramana]

From Uttar Pradesh to Madhya Pradesh, various states announce job priority for 'Agniveers'


‘Agniveers’ recruited in the Indian Armed Forces under the revolutionary ‘Agnipath’ scheme will be given priority for jobs in Uttar Pradesh’s state police and allied forces, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said on Thursday.

The Chief Minister assured that youth who complete their four years’ service under the pan India merit-based recruitment scheme will be given preference in police recruitment in the state.

Taking to Twitter, CM Yogi Adityanath said, “Agnipath scheme will prepare the youth for the service of the nation and society, giving them the opportunity of a proud future.”

The UP government assures that ‘Agniveers’ will be given priority in post service adjustment in the Police and Police Allied Forces, the Chief Minister said in a Twitter post.

In a series of Twitter posts, the Chief Minister said, “Agneepath Yojana will give a new dimension to your life as well as give a golden base to the future.”

Our ‘Agniveer’, determined to serve Mother Bharati, will be the invaluable prize of the nation and UP government will give preference to Agniveers in police and other services, he further added.

India on 14th June unveiled the ambitious scheme for recruitment of the youth aged between 17 and a half and 21 in the Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force.

Notably, soldiers recruited in the defence forces under the recruitment policy will be inducted in the Indian armed forces as ‘Agniveers’ – a distinct rank in the Armed Forces, different from any other existing rank.

Once selected, the aspirants will go through training for six months and then they will be deployed for three and a half years. After the completion of their four-year engagement period and up to 25% of each specific batch of Agniveers will be enrolled in the regular cadre of the Armed Forces.

Rest will be accorded Rs 11.71 lakh as a lump sum amount, which will be tax-free. Additionally, they will also get a Rs 48 lakh life insurance cover for the four years.

Various States sets the ball rolling for engagement of ‘Agniveers’

Haryana

The Haryana government has also moved ahead with giving preference in jobs and other works to the youth who complete this service under Agnipath, said CM of Haryana Manohar lal Khattar.

On behalf of Haryana Govt, I assure everyone that the 75% of agniveers (who would be relieved after 4 years of service from armed forces) will be given priority in govt jobs, if they want one. Similar schemes of giving them priority will also be made in other jobs too, the Haryana CM said while interacting with media.

Madhya Pradesh

Welcoming the scheme, CM of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said, “Such jawans, who would have served in the Indian Army under the Agnipath scheme, will be given priority in the Madhya Pradesh Police recruitment.” He said the ‘Agnipath’ scheme will connect youth with the Army and generate 45,000 jobs.

“The ‘Agnipath’ scheme will connect youth with the Indian Army and ensure the protection of the country’s borders and strengthen its unity and integrity,” MP CM said.

Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also announced that the Agniveers who will complete their 4 years of service, would be included in Uttarakhand Police, Disaster Management and Char Dham Management of the state.

Assam

Chief ministers of Assam and Manipur also announced that the ‘Agniveers’ under the Centre’s ‘Agnipath’ scheme will be given “special preference” in police jobs once they retire from the 4-year service.

“PM Narendra Modi has announced a pathbreaking scheme ‘Agnipath’ for recruitment into armed forces. Agniveers who will return after 4 years of service in the armed forces will be given special preference in Assam Police recruitment,” Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a tweet.

Manipur

His Manipur counterpart, N Biren Singh also hailed the ‘Agnipath’ scheme. “In a move which will make our armed forces more youthful, the Agnipath scheme will open the doors for the youth to join the country’s premier armed forces as Agniveers. Agniveers returning from ‘Agnipath’ scheme will be given preference in the state police/MR/IRB recruitment,” he mentioned in a tweet.

Chief ministers of Arunachal Pradesh also hailed the central government for launching the ‘Agnipath’ scheme for recruitment of youth in the armed forces.

Arunachal Pradesh

“We are excited about the unique program ‘Agnipath’ for recruiting youth in the armed forces for 4 years. Grateful to PM Narendra Modi and Hon Defence Min Rajnath Singh for this opportunity to the Young, Youthful India,”Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu tweeted.

In a different tweet, CM Khandu wrote, “46,000 Agniveers will be recruited this year, and the rallies for it will start in 90 days. The scheme is designed to ensure that our armed forces have a younger, fitter, diverse profile for facing future challenges.”

[ramana]

Support to Agnipath scheme, Dept of School Education & Literacy announces a special Programme

The Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education has notified its support to the Agnipath scheme by announcing a special program through its autonomous institution, the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).

The Government of India has announced Agnipath Scheme to induct young men and women into the armed forces that will develop a vibrant defence force and disciplined skilled youth with military ethos in civil society.

What is the Dept. of School Education and Literacy’s special Program?

NIOS is instituting a special programme in consultation with the Defence Authorities that will enable those Agniveers who are 10th class pass to further their education and obtain a 12th class pass Certificate. They will be developing customized courses that are not only current but very relevant to their area of service.

This certificate will be recognised for employment and higher education purposes in India. The program will benefit the Agniveers to gain adequate educational qualifications and skills to take up productive roles in society later in life.

Objective;

This special programme of NIOS will facilitate enrolment, development of courses, student support, provision of self-learning material, accreditation of study centres, personal contact programme, evaluation and certification.

The open schooling system of NIOS which is extremely user-friendly and accessible to all from anywhere anytime has hereby opened its doors to all the Agniveers under the Agnipath Scheme.

Agnipath – an opportunity for Youth in Armed Forces

The Ministry of Defence unveiled the “Agnipath” scheme on 14 June 2022, it is a pan-India merit-based recruitment scheme for enrolling soldiers, airmen and sailors. The scheme is a transformative initiative that will provide a youthful profile to the armed forces.

Under this scheme, young persons will be provided with an opportunity to serve in the armed forces as “Agniveer”. It provides an opportunity for youth to serve in the regular cadre of the armed forces for a period of 4 years including the training period. Agniveers will be recruited between the ages of 17.5 to 21 years. Moreover, candidates who are 10th /12th pass too can apply for the recruitment process.

The new scheme provides a golden opportunity for India’s youth to experience military life without having to make a long-term commitment.

This period of four years of active service provides the Agniveers with the much required time to resolve inhibitions if any, with respect to the services’ way of life and towards enabling them to decide upon the Armed forces as a permanent career option.

[ramana]

Looks like a lot of thought and coordination went into this program for bottoms up transformation 9f the military.

Once new CDS and theater commands come the top down transformation will happen.
The middle will be IBGs.

[ks_sachin]

Looks like a lot of thought and coordination went into this program for bottoms up transformation 9f the military.

Once new CDS and theater commands come the top down transformation will happen.
The middle will be IBGs.

Ramana sir
I can tell you that a lot of deliberations have gone in at the AHQ level into this.
At the end of the day, exhaustive pros-cons were done and presented to the government.
The Forces are subservient to the government of the day.

[ramana]

Why last line?

[ks_sachin]

In fact Rifleman Sanjay Kumar was 19 years old when he won PVC in Kargil. Lt Arun Khetrapal was 21 in 1971 war. At Galwan, Gurupreet Singh was 21.

It's just nonsense to say need 7 years to become a soldier.

7 years is a stretch.

But at least a year and a half - basic training plus at the bn level.

Remember also that all the other training apart from basic infantry training is over and above this basic training.

For example, a youngster going into a mortar platoon. Mortar training would be after all the basic stuff. Similarly, signal platoon or the erstwhile RCL platoon's equivalent is the specialisation that is not part of basic training.

My info is a bit dated so people in the know may correct me.

[ks_sachin]

Why last line?

I hear a lot of people say that the Generals / Admirals / Air MArshalls have sold out to the government etc and not maintained the interests of the services.

Plus the government was also keen on this.

[ramana]

Oh from that point of view!
This reform as you say is debated for atleast 2 years.
Looks like it caught many by surprise based on op eds.
I do think GOI could have explained all the steps in detail to reduce the unnecessary protests.

.

[arshyam]

Is this scheme going to be the only way to recruit soldiers from now on? Or is it in parallel to the existing system, similar to how, for the officer cadre, SSC runs in parallel to NDA/IMA/NA/AFA's traditional intake?

[Pashupatastra]

khan seem to have a five year service plan for westpoint/colo springs/Annapolis cadets.

hnair: The cadets who pass out from West Point and similar institutes of other services, come out with an undergraduate degree and join their forces as Officers. In fact there is another program called ROTC, where students pursue a general degree in colleges/universities paid for by khan with students committing to doing additional training to become officers with a commitment to serve for 4-5 years after graduation as officers.

My understanding is the Agnipath program is for soldiers only and not part of the officer track. IMO: India needs a similar program, as we have a shortfall there.

Having said that, support the Agnipath program and I will state some harsher truths as I see them.

1. For long the soldiers who join the military have used it as en employment guarantee scheme along with caste/class affiliations and perpetrate the colonial martial races theory and this program will act as a decisive blow to that mindset. A changing India needs these "transformative" changes. One becomes a Kshatriya through action and this "lifelong" notion of varna was never a part of our ancient systems. One changes their Karmas and changes their Varna accordingly. Being moribund leads to stagnation of society, fungibility allows one to adapt and thrive.
2. Our defense budgets are personnel costs heavy affecting our firepower capabilities and this seems to be a nice way to add to the capital side of the budget
3. Truth be told, weeding out 75% of the least desirable will make the forces stronger.

Apologies, if I have hurt anyone's feelings but the above is from what serves the interest of security the best. Certainly not a win-win for all. The only losers in this are the folks who wanted permanent employment and they are rioting on the streets. Sorry the world is competitive and GOI has to stop acting as mai baap. Wish they do something similar on the administration side of affairs.

The motivation to serve in far flung places in hostile conditions cannot only be pecuniary. The chances of soldiers willing to lay down lives without flinching , thinking of families back home would not be possible with short term (sighted ?) schemes like Agniveer.

[ramana]

Right now it's 3% Agniveers and will plateau at 50%.
I forgot when its supposed to do that.
But goal is 50%.

[sanjayc]

Is this scheme going to be the only way to recruit soldiers from now on? Or is it in parallel to the existing system, similar to how, for the officer cadre, SSC runs in parallel to NDA/IMA/NA/AFA's traditional intake?

My understanding is, it will be parallel, with intake capped at 50%

[ks_sachin]

The motivation to serve in far flung places in hostile conditions cannot only be pecuniary. The chances of soldiers willing to lay down lives without flinching , thinking of families back home would not be possible with short term (sighted ?) schemes like Agniveer.

We have short service commission officers who have done well.....

I know of a regular commission Lt Col who did not want to join bn because the Bn was being posted to the glacier sector....

And let's be honest here. No one wants to serve in hostile conditions or god-forsaken places. The officers and men do it because it is their duty.

Let's also face the fact that a lot of rural youth join the forces because it is the only way for them to get a job. That a large majority of them are moulded into good soldiers is after the fact.

[Aditya_V]

Injury or death in battle willbe covered the same way as normal Jawans, the aim is to get a larger base population militarily trained and networked with the miltary. These pool will also learn a lot of skills and travel experience which will be very useful for thier post miltary life. They will be much more useful to I dusty, CAPF, Police, Govt jobs than what they would have naturally been.

It is like voluntary miltary draft or tour of duty it add much more to our territorial army.

[ks_sachin]

1. For long the soldiers who join the military have used it as en employment guarantee scheme along with caste/class affiliations and perpetrate the colonial martial races theory and this program will act as a decisive blow to that mindset. A changing India needs these "transformative" changes. One becomes a Kshatriya through action and this "lifelong" notion of varna was never a part of our ancient systems. One changes their Karmas and changes their Varna accordingly. Being moribund leads to stagnation of society, fungibility allows one to adapt and thrive.

I agree with most of what you say...

but what is this caste/class affiliation that you talk of? - Can you give me examples of caste/class that plays a role in recruitment and plays a role in the composition of a formation at a basic level - inf bn/ armed bn/ arty regt / eng bn etc...

who in the army believes the martial races theory? Can you give me any proof of that...

If you still believe in the martial races theory and more important believe that the officers believe in that BS then it is you sir who is living in the past.

[jaysimha]

Why last line?

I hear a lot of people say that the Generals / Admirals / Air MArshalls have sold out to the government etc and not maintained the interests of the services.

Plus the government was also keen on this.

Yes even I heard the same. I feel Mudi has stepped on a snake on the way to save money..

"If you want to save money, them scrap projects like gagayan chandayaan which nobody asked for, and has no benefit to the common man on the street"
.
"Our country has some people who stone the public transport at the first instance of unease..scrap bullet train itd itd and save money. those things are meant to be in Japan where they dont throw stones. For speeedy trains, deploy train 18 in numbers ASAP"
.

[ks_sachin]

^^^
yes by that logic lets go back to the stone ages but have the best quality military.

the economic benefits of our space program and a good transportation network need not be a matter of debate.

I think it is unfair on the senior army leadership.....Should they all have resigned?

[Yagnasri]

The entire attack is to intimidate NM from stopping the ED from arresting Pappu and taking over the National Herald property by ED.

AFAIK, huge rental income is coming to the MQ family from that. AFAIK major industrial house people are tenants of MQ. Connect this to central vista. Again loss of substantial rental income. The income the people in power and those close to them were getting for decades and decades without any brake.

One thing is now clear. IB needs some big kick in the a&&. why they have not seen this coming.

[Aditya_V]

Regarding the so called protestors, Nobody who wants to Defend the Nation will burn National Assets. So these are not Army aspirants, who are they?

Looks the Kill Nupur Sharma, Shaheen Bagh crowd, along with Lalu and with National Herald case against the first family along with Indian Food Export ban is causing a lot of problems to well ecosystems is striking back. We need to endure this and get all the Masterminds.

[ramana]

Prasar Bharati

Govt raises age limit for Agniveers to 23; opens various post-service avenues

In a welcome move, the government of India has announced a change in recruiting ‘Agniveers’ as the upper age limit for candidates will now be increased to 23 from 21 as a one-time waiver.

Granting a one-time waiver, the Union government declared that the Agniveer upper age limit for recruitments via Agnipath Scheme has been extended to 23 years from 21 years.

Issuing an official statement on Agnipath Scheme, the Ministry of Defence mentioned that the one-time waiver in the upper age limit has been granted as recruitments during the two years had not been possible.

Cognizant of the fact that it had not been possible to undertake the recruitment during the last two years, the Government has decided that a one-time waiver shall be granted for the proposed recruitment cycle for 2022, the statement mentioned.

A statement by PIB read, “The Government has decided that a one-time waiver shall be granted for the proposed recruitment cycle for 2022. Accordingly, the upper age limit for the recruitment process for Agnipath scheme for 2022 is increased to 23 years.”

The way forward for Agniveers

It is pertinent to note that the Union Government has also asserted that the intake in the defence forces will be tripled in the coming years, in comparison to present recruitment. Further, several avenues have also been opened after the four-year tenures of Agniveers.

Interacting with media, Army vice-chief Lt-General B S Raju said,”That Indian Army would progressively scale up the annual recruitment from 40,000 Agniveers this year to 1.2 lakh by the seventh or eighth year and then 1.6 lakh by the tenth or eleventh year under the Agnipath scheme.”

The eventual aim is to have a 50:50 ratio of regular cadre soldiers and Agniveers, he said

‘Agniveers’ to get job preference in state government

Various states have also announced the job preferences for ‘Agniveers’ after the completion of their 4 years tenure in the state police and allied forces.

States like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh have declared that ‘Agniveers’ recruited in the Indian Armed Forces under the revolutionary ‘Agnipath’ scheme will be given preference.

Paving way for the future of ‘Agniveers’ after their four-year service in the armed forces, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also announced that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will give priority to them in getting recruitment to Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles.

The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) include forces such as Assam Rifles (AR), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Security Guard (NSG) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).

Unveiling the ‘Agnipath’ scheme, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that upon the completion of four years of Agniveers, many central ministries and states governments including Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) & corporations will give priority to them in job opportunities.”

In the coming days, you will get the announcement by various state governments and ministries regarding the priority in job opportunities to Agniveers, the Defence Minister said.

Under Agnipath recruitment policy, soldiers (between the ages of 17.5 years and 21 years) recruited in the defence forces will be inducted as ‘Agniveers’ – a distinct rank in the Armed Forces, different from any other existing rank.

Once selected, the aspirants will go through training for six months and then they will be deployed for three and a half years. During this period, they will be provided an attractive monthly package of Rs 30,000 per month with upgradation upto Rs 40,000 per month in 4th year.

After a four-year engagement period, up to 25% of each specific batch of Agniveers will be enrolled in regular cadre of the Armed Forces. Importantly, during this period, 30 percent of their salary will be set aside under a ‘Seva Nidhi’ programme, and the government will contribute an equal amount every month along with providing accrue interest.

At the end of the four-year period, Agniveer will be accorded Rs 11.71 lakh as a lump sum amount, which will be tax-free. Additionally, they will also get a Rs 48 lakh life insurance cover for the four years.

[srin]

I hear a lot of people say that the Generals / Admirals / Air MArshalls have sold out to the government etc and not maintained the interests of the services.

Plus the government was also keen on this.

Yes even I heard the same. I feel Mudi has stepped on a snake on the way to save money..

"If you want to save money, them scrap projects like gagayan chandayaan which nobody asked for, and has no benefit to the common man on the street"
.
"Our country has some people who stone the public transport at the first instance of unease..scrap bullet train itd itd and save money. those things are meant to be in Japan where they dont throw stones. For speeedy trains, deploy train 18 in numbers ASAP"
.

The easiest thing for the government is to maintain status quo. There will be some whines after every budget that the military budget is too less, that pension bill is too high etc. But they won't lose votes. Nobody will be seriously unhappy. It is always possible to kick this can down the road, to the next government.

Unfortunately it only means that the military modernization will be slower. You won't get the full mountain strike corps that was approved, etc. Gradually, we will start getting weaker.

So, I'm impressed that the government is taking steps to strengthen the military even at the expense of violent protests. At the same time, I'm also worried about what it is that is making an otherwise inertia bound MoD and services to take up this drastic step. What do they know or understand that we are missing?

[ks_sachin]

Regarding the so called protestors, Nobody who wants to Defend the Nation will burn National Assets. So these are not Army aspirants, who are they?

Defend the nation etc are lofty concepts that we middle class have...For the boys from the village, it is about putting food on the table or earning something to contribute to the family unless of course there is a tradition of soldiering in the family. I have seen this first-hand.....

Till they reach the regimental centre they are pretty much all the same - the same youngster can be goaded to becoming a miscreant and the same youngster with guidance can be someone willing to join the army.

[IndraD]

https://swarajyamag.com/ideas/what-to-m ... -narrative What To Make Of The Anti-Agnipath Narrative?


Importantly, a quarter of those recruited under this scheme would be absorbed into the armed forces for career service.

It is transformative, creates a massive pool of young reservists, meets the military’s personnel needs, provides further education, addresses rural unemployment, and reduces the burden on the exchequer, since recruits under this scheme are not eligible for a pension.

This is significant, since, at present, around a quarter of the annual defence budget goes towards pensions. Thus, once the scheme enters its cycle, it would then release large monies for desperately needed capital expenditure.

But what was surprising, was the number of senior, retired military officers who publicly inveighed against this new policy, the vehemence of their fulminations, their distinct, political bias, and sadly, the poor quality of their arguments. No names will be taken here, out of respect to the uniforms they once wore.

One said that the length of service under Agnipath ought to have been seven years, rather than four, with half being absorbed into regular service, rather than the quarter announced. This is the old tactic of rebutting numbers with numbers, without needing to offer reasons; it has no legs – just a parade ground blare.

A second said that the policy was flawed because it left youngsters at the start of their adulthood, even after four, rigorous years of skill-building, without further avenues.

Perhaps that officer missed a letter to the Prime Minister in April 2022, from the head of CAPSI (Central Association of Private Security Industry), guaranteeing placement for products of the Agnipath scheme (It also had an excellent suggestion, that the four-year tenure include a short course on corporate security).

A third pounced on the CAPSI offer and denounced it as a great fall for the Army. You didn’t spend four years moulding boys into lions, only for them to then waste their lives as ‘lowly’ security guards. The snobbery and elitism in this excuse of an argument is probably matched only by its utter ignorance of policy making. Besides, the private security sector is one of the largest employers in the country, and is expected to grow rapidly in coming years.

A fourth said that a four-year scheme wouldn’t meet the Service Corps’ requirements, since specialist drivers of tank-transporters need 8-10 years to gain full proficiency.

In logic, this is a derivate of what is called the ‘causal fallacy’, since the stated objective of the Agnipath scheme is to give youngsters a leg up in life before they start building their futures; it is not – repeat, not – intended to develop a permanent cadre of experts. So then why argue over what the policy is not about?

A fifth, a retired two-star general with a penchant for hot takes, argued that four years was grossly insufficient to instil valour and ‘paltan ki izzat’ (esprit de corps) in a trooper. Unfortunately for him, and his public image, others promptly pointed out that Hon. Capt Yogendra Singh Yadav was just 19 when he was awarded the Param Vir Chakra!

[Cyrano]

Gen Bakshi is batting for bigger budget, he may be rightly worried that a different and lower benchmark for total cost per soldier man-year will be set and the army forever boxed into a tighter benchmark.
But that's just one view of the issue, there are a lot more facets to it .

[IndraD]

https://twitter.com/UtkarshSingh_/statu ... xuy1qM2nTw Gaya Bihar
trackman saves lives by separating bogies on fire

In state with collapsed L&O like WB
dangai are trying to enter army HQ

[chetak]

disregard the BIF funded presstitute, sold out jehadi liberandu, sickular sociopath, media vulture and woke dehati aurat buddi butt but listen to this interview of @SinghNavdeep

Maj. Navdeep Singh makes excellent points, and as always is balanced and sensible

The telling points include the very origins of the scheme and also the fact that the Indian coast guard already has a somewhat similar scheme in play

This should have gamed, dissected, studied and tweaked before it was implemented

whoever led the govt up this particular garden path is certainly not a friend.

A few tweaks and modifications would have made the world of a difference and saved the almost same amount of money.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XitEkTvZf8


Major Navdeep Singh, a soldier-lawyer breaks down what he calls the problematic terms of the Modi government's new military recruitment policy. He points out that had the current four year stint been extended to five, the jawan would have been entitled to gratuity _ he also argues that it is unlikely that after a four year term a guaranteed lateral induction can take place - pointing out how many "Jawans are forced to be ATM guards." A better way he says was to have had 10 year schemes and an NPS system for pensions.

[Barath]

Frankly Agnipath/Agniveer/Tour of Duty is a mostly insignificant sideshow.

I'm surprised there is so much discussion and so much fervor about Agnipath/Agniveers, without this being remarked.

The Indian armed services are 1.4 million strong.

46,000 Agniveers are a rounding error. You could reduce the Indian army by 46,000 without any significant issue. It's a change in terms of service of 3% of the armed forces. You can raise or abolish mountain corps or have a deficit in manpower in past or even current armies of similar sizes without issue.

OROP and the 1.4 million armed services has helped ensure that the armed forces do not have money for modernization. This does not help significantly. The armed services do not have current, trained reserve, being content to label retirees and ex servicemen as reserve, without ensuring continuing training, skilling and certification. This does not address officers, new skills (information warfare etc) necessary or lateral hire either. It does not define the mix of skills necessary for the army.

This is tinkering, instead of boldly going forth (with/without piloting as one retired lt general complained)

It is an indirect condemnation of the manpower/pension structure, and an outright (if indirect) statement that at least 3% of the army probably doesn't need huge/special training. (if anything much)

FWIW, it seems to be mostly reasonable prima facie, to bring "josh" and "jezba" and improved flexibility; and when hundreds of millions of Indians face uncertainties of unemployment, 46,000 more (or rather 3/4ths of that) youngsters post service looking for a job is not an injustice. The army cannot be a jobs program. There are other facets too, including skill tracking, subsequent offers from IGNOU, the deployment across service regiments, better linking military and civilians (in miniscule fashion). The branding that the Govt came up with for the ToD. "Agnipath/Agniveer". It may be a small step., but does not bring significant savings or significant changes needed,

Make no mistake, this is not (yet) the critical reform the armed services desperately need.

Those need much more effort, hard work, gumption and boldness.

[dnivas]

I am up for it. inculcating young kids with a sense of nationalism and pride in the country is good for the country long term. It took me years of reading BR to appreciate my civilization. If three years can change a young man, it's great.

quick calculations, if 50K agniveers per year and 75% goes back into society. That's 3.75 Lakh trained soldiers in our midst in 10 years. One generation can reap us a 10-20 lakh well trained , law abiding, educated citizens. The money that they earn will roll back into society and the values they learn from the army will over time percolate into society much more faster than what we have now.

So I am all in for it.