(((((Total number of Agniveers who would be roped is going to be nearly 2 lakh in the next four years and out of that, in the end, just 49 thousand Agniveers would find a permanent place in the forces))))
With ‘Agnipath Scheme’ out as a sole recruitment process for the army, the country might be looking at a grim picture ahead concerning the number of recruits who will be inducted into the forces. The numbers are not fat; rather, the same is quite slim, trimmed enough to significantly reduce the footprint of the army in the long run, and comes with the services of only 25% of the total Angiveers getting permanently placed. The situation demands an immediate revision of the percentage of Angiveers who will see permanency in their services, especially after the anger that was witnessed on the roads soon after the announcement of the scheme across the country.
If we go by the figures, then every year, nearly 50 thousand to 60 thousand people used to be inducted into the forces and the recruitment would happen without fail. However, after 2019, there has not been any recruitment made while aspirants have completed the pre-requisites such as physical test, and written test. Due to that, there was anger, after the Government termed the ‘Agnipath Scheme’ as the sole way of recruitment for the forces. Those who had invested time and resources, naturally, reacted and did so violently. The government also stood by its decision even as NSA Doval ruled out the rollback of the scheme.
If we go by the global numbers on the recruitments in the army, then there is a great contrast between what India is trying to do by bringing in reforms and what remains prevalent in countries like Israel, the USA, Russia, France, and the United Kingdom (UK). The numbers vary in duration of the contract, years of engagement as well as the number of the recruits who are permanently inducted into the service.
There is another side to the ‘Agnipath Scheme’ as well, and that is the way too much decrease in the number of recruits who would see their services regularized, and permanent. If we again go by the numbers, then, this year 46 thousand ‘Agniveers’ would be inducted into the forces, while after 4 years, just 25% would be retained.
In this manner, while the total number of Agniveers who would be roped is going to be nearly 2 lakh in the next four years and out of that, in the end, just 49 thousand Agniveers would find a permanent place in the forces—which is a colossal difference if we compare the normal recruitment carried out earlier. Therefore, it is this 25% that needs to be addressed and reviewed without any delay while keeping in view the anger of youth—which they have already displayed—who are the real stakeholders of the same because if the Government is eyeing the success of—what is being termed a huge progressive reform: ‘Agnipath Scheme’—then the concerns, demands that are being raised must be addressed immediately.
