Pragmatic approach needed to redefine Agnipath scheme

“Agnipath” scheme is a sweeping military reform in the history of independent India. When announced in June 2022, the former army chief Gen Manoj Mukund Narvane had gone to the extent to remark in his autobiography “Four Starts of Destiny”, that all of a sudden the introduction of Agnipath scheme has taken the army “by surprise” and was a “bolt out of the blue” for the navy and the air force, thereby, making it crystal clear that neither was it an initiative from the armed forces, nor have they been taken into confidence while formulating and introducing this scheme. Further, this scheme is a contractual appointment system devised to reduce the enormously increasing pension bills of the armed forces as well as to maintain more youthful age profile as is being said; so as to enhance efficiency of our military; but at the heavy expense of welfare of Agniveers and their family in case of a battle casualty or in case one suffers incapacities, physical or mental, in that Agniveers are not considered at par with regular soldiers which is causing dissatisfaction and uncertainties in minds of already inducted Agniveers, aspirants and their families. However, terms of regular engagement can be reduced to at least 10 years specifically in combat arms and after 10 years of regular combatant service, 50% of these Agniveers should be absorbed in armed forces and the remaining 50% shifted to central armed polices forces and state armed police forces and other civil organisations with gratuity, CSD facilities, ECHS facilities: but without any pension. Currently, 60,000 to 70,0000 armed forces personnel come home between the age group of 37 to 42, and there is huge backlog of retired soldiers despite job reservations at various levels.