Current Affairs 2022: Agnipath Scheme and its Pros and Cons

By Shubham Singh

The new scheme can fill the lakhs of vacancies in the armed forces, without burdening the central government with a lot of funds. 

Form the ongoing Russia Ukraine war it is evident that a soldier can halt the war crime and surrender. India is currently in the middle of hostile neighbours, so it is very important that it reform its defence sector. But the pandemic has severely impacted army recruitment drives. According to the reports, there are over 1.25 lakh vacancies in the three services of the armed forces. To cope with this problem, the government of India is ready to roll out a new recruitment programme that has the potential to fill all vacancies in the armed forces. The programme is in the last stage and is yet to be finalised by the cabinet.

Agnipath Scheme: Recruitment Drive For Armed Forces

Agnipath Scheme, also known as the Indian army's tour of duty scheme, is an army recruitment process. Several rounds of talks and presentations have been completed in this regard. All the three services have shown their interest in this scheme. It is in the final stage and set to launch very soon. Youths can join elite armed forces for a short period under the scheme. As per the reports, 100 officers and 1000 soldiers will be taken into the armed forces for three years. The selected youths will be titled “Agniveers” during their tenure and then the armed forces will have an option of retaining some of them into permanent positions. As of now, the recruitment will only be in the Indian army but is likely to extend to the Indian air force and Indian navy as well.

Objectives of the Agnipath Scheme

The major objective of the Agnipath scheme is to reduce the age to join military services and fill the vacancies in the armed forces. This program also enables youth who wish to serve the nation but are not able to do so because of the current service rules to join the military. This will be a short service commission, hence there will be no burden of capital on the government.  The scheme also intends to reduce the burden of pension payout on the government.

How will Agniveers be Benefitted?

Agniveer, a recruited youth for a three-year tour of duty, would have bright career options after serving in the armed forces. The Indian army will have the option of retaining a few of them and they can serve the nation as permanent soldiers. The soldiers, who will be relieved after the three-year services will be able to compete in the civil world as they will be assisted by the Indian army. Many corporate sectors and big MNCs have shown interest to hire “Agniveers”.

The scheme can also prove to be beneficial for the personal growth of Agniveers. They will experience the disciplined life of the armed forces. Through extensive training that the personnel would go into, they will be able to start a fit and healthy lifestyle.

Cons of the Agnipath Scheme

The scheme is yet to be implemented, however, it will certainly have some ripples. India has a massive pool of unemployed youths and the scheme can attract people, who do not want to join the army but are desperately looking for a job. There is a high possibility of Agniveers losing motivation in work due to insecurities of being jobless after three years.

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