New Delhi, Nov 4 As the government on Wednesday announced that Agniveers set to exit the military at the end of their four-year tenure will be given an additional two-year extension, Kargil war hero Brig Khushal Thakur (retd) said the move reflects that the voices of people who have been seeking review of the Agnipath scheme have been “heard”.
The Army veteran, who commanded the 18 Grenadiers, whose men fought the Battle of Tiger Hill during Operation Vijay in 1999, reiterated that instead of 25 per cent, “75 per cent of Agniveers should be retained after four years” to boost operational effectiveness in the armed forces.
A few other Army veterans also welcomed the government’s decision, with a retired lieutenant general describing it as an “improved form of Agniveer scheme”.
In a major overhaul of the military recruitment scheme, the government announced that Agniveers set to exit the military at the end of their four-year tenure will be given an additional two-year extension and subsequent permanent recruitment subject to meeting specific eligibility criteria.
The decision was announced by Chief of Defence Staff Gen N S Raja Subramani, shortly after the Union Cabinet chaired by the prime minister approved the changes as recommended by the three services following an exhaustive review of the scheme.
Under the Agnipath scheme rolled out in June 2022, soldiers were recruited for a four-year term, with a provision to retain only 25 per cent of them in regular services.
The changes in the scheme were brought in just over three weeks before around 18,300 Agniveers were to exit the armed forces by December 31 after completing their four-year tenure.
“With the introduction of another engagement period of two years followed by induction of all Agniveers as regular soldiers, the Cabinet has created a pathway for absorption of all Agniveers into defence forces,” the defence ministry said in a statement.
Brig Thakur, who retired in 2010, said this new step will ensure retention of skilled manpower and specialised manpower trained over the past four years.
“And, especially these boys who have seen Operation Sindoor, so there will be a continuity. It will also help create an operational effectiveness in the armed forces. Also, the challenging security environment that we have now, on both our borders, as also the issue of cross-border terrorism, so this is a welcome step,” he told PTI over the phone from Dehradun.
It is therefore also essential that “we don’t disturb the process” of holistic recruitment, the veteran said.
“My suggestion, since beginning, has been that retention segment should be increased from 25 per cent to 75 per cent, and this is again my suggestion to the government,” he said.
Since the introduction of the scheme, there has been criticism of it from various quarters, including the opposition Congress, which has been demanding its rollback, as well as from many in the ex-servicemen community.
There have been demands from many to review the scheme over the past four years.
Also, Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) in June 2022, when he served as Bihar’s chief minister, had made a plea to the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for a review of the Agnipath scheme, and assured protesting youngsters that their future would not be adversely affected by the new recruitment policy in the armed forces.
Brig Thakur (retd) said the announcement made by the government today indicates that voices demanding its review “have been heard”, and maybe after two years, it could consider effecting another review of the scheme.
He, however, cautioned that the policy will create three sets of people in the armed forces –permanent soldiers, Agniveer (four-year term) and then ‘extended Agniveer’ (six-year term), and the “differences would have to be handled carefully”.
“An objective assessment in terms of organisational requirements and operational efficiency has brought out the outstanding performance of Agniveers in terms of skills, motivation levels, physical fitness and technological prowess. As envisaged earlier, based on merit, 25 per cent of Agniveers will be offered regular employment in the defence forces,” the ministry said in the statement.
For the remaining 75 per cent Agniveers, on the recommendations of the Indian defence forces, another engagement period of two years has been approved by the Cabinet. After completion of this two-year engagement period, all Agniveers will be offered enrollment as regular soldiers “subject to their willingness and their meeting selection criteria,” it said.
The Kargil war veteran said the government should “clarify the exact criteria” that will form the pathway for absorption.
Another Army veteran, Lt Gen Dushyant Singh (retd), said the policy that has now come out is “part of a process”, as it was said in the last policy that the scheme will be “periodically reviewed”.
“This scheme is an improved form of Agniveer (Agnipath) scheme. Agniveer was earlier also a good scheme, but now, it has been made sharper. Now, I feel, this scheme is a fully complete scheme, and it is a big step in the context of national security. It is also a big step from the point of view of military preparedness. And also a good move when it comes to the growth and the progress of Agniveers themselves,” he said.
(PTI News)
