The central government is all set to announce a new scheme called Agnipath under which youngsters would join the forces for a period of three years and serve the country. The scheme is a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s major reform towards reducing expenditure and age profile of the defence forces.
Top government sources informed India Today that the youth would join the forces through the Agnipath entry scheme and be known as ‘Agniveers’ during their stint.
Forces are making final presentations to the government on the programme which would give them the option of retaining the best talent among the ‘Agniveers’ while releasing the others for civilian jobs. Corporate houses have also been in touch with the government to take the military-trained youth into their fold.
The recruitment cycles for soldiers in the armed forces has been severely curtailed in the past two years due to the Covid pandemic, with official records showing that 1.25 lakh vacancies are currently available in the defence forces.
While the contours of the final plan are yet to be revealed, the original concept was to bring in soldiers, both for general and specialised duties, for a fixed period of three years. This would be a shift from the earlier concept of permanent recruitment into the armed forces in which soldiers serve for varying lengths of time.
The catchment areas for recruitment could also be significantly expanded. At the end of three years, most of the soldiers would be relieved from duty and would get assistance from the armed forces for further employment avenues. Several corporations will also have an interest in reserving jobs for such trained and disciplined youth who have served their nation.
Initial calculations by the Armed Forces had projected thousands of crores in savings in pay, allowances and pension if a considerable number of soldiers are taken in under the tour of duty concept. The best among the recruited youth could also get an opportunity to continue their service, in case vacancies are available.
