PART-TIME TROOPS

The new defence recruitment scheme, which aims to make the armed forces lean and mean, is facing flak from within the military fraternity

- PRADIP R. SAGAR

The name Agnipath evokes memories of the 1990 Bollywood movie starring Amitabh Bachchan. But, the word is about to become even more popular thanks to the Union government. Agnipath means path of fire; fire signifies struggle and purity. And this is the name of the Indian military’s new recruitment scheme for jawans. The recruits will be called Agniveers. The scheme is also called Tour of Duty (ToD).

Under ToD, all soldiers, sailors and air warriors will be recruited for four years. The aim is to make the military lean and mean. That is, to reduce the pension bill (for FY 2022-2023, this is ₹1.2 lakh crore of the ₹5.25 lakh crore defence budget) and to assemble younger forces. For example, the average age of an infantryman is 35-36. With ToD, this is expected to drop to 25-26 in five years.

The scheme will recruit undergraduate men, aged 18 to 21, on a contract basis, with no scope for promotion. The four-year stint will have around six months of training, and salary and perks would be almost at par with existing personnel. After the stint, 25 per cent of the jawans will be considered for permanent commission after fresh screening—so far, only officers were eligible for permanent commission. The other 75 per cent will be get severance pay of ₹10 lakh-₹12 lakh.