It will be disruptive. It will destroy the espirt de corps of India’s men in uniform. It will be the death knell for our armed forces.
Those were some reactions expressed on Twitter by retired defence officers to the Agnipath scheme for short-term recruitment into the armed forces announced on Tuesday.
By Thursday, violent protests against the plan had spread to several North Indian states, with train coaches being burnt and a Bharatiya Janata Party office being attacked. The protestors want the previous longer-term system of recruitment to continue.
Under the Agnipath scheme, citizens aged between 17-and-a-half to 21 years will be eligible to apply for a four-year “Tour of Duty” in the armed forces. Twenty-five per cent of those who complete the Tour of Duty will be eligible to apply as regular personnel.
The short-term recruits, or Agniveers, will not be eligible for pension or gratuity benefits and will be given a sum of Rs 11.71 lakh at the end of their service.
Become an #Agniveer and be the strength to your family and society. An avenue to change your life and future of #AtmaNirbharBharat. #BharatKeAgniveer#IndianArmy pic.twitter.com/eolFXHwspa
— ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) June 16, 2022
Among those who aired his disappointment with the scheme was retired Major General GD Bakshi, a frequent guest on television chat shows as a die-hard supporter of the ruling BJP.
Lets not destroy our institutions in a time of great threatsfrom China&Pak .Armed forces have performed well .Just for Saving money let us not destroy what we have. Armed forces need a mixture of youth & Experience.4 year tenure forces could be risk averse. learnfromRussia
— Maj Gen (Dr)GD Bakshi SM,VSM(retd) (@GeneralBakshi) June 14, 2022
Sushant Singh, a retired army officer and frequent commentator on security and defence matters, said the move would be disruptive and cautioned against carrying out experiments on the armed forces.
The basic question to ask on the ToD scheme is simple:
— Sushant Singh (@SushantSin) June 14, 2022
What was it that was so badly broken with the Indian Armed Forces that you are trying to fix with this disruptive move of short-term contractual recruitment?
No other country in the world has experimented with #DefenceForces the way @BJP4India is doing eg #Sparsh #Agniveer etc.
— Lt Col Anil Duhoon (Veteran) (@LtColAnilDuhoon) June 14, 2022
Why Pilot Project can’t be done on #PMF or #StatePolice?
This move must be stopped to allow Defence remain apolitical.@INCIndia @RahulGandhi
Absolutely, none of those involved in formulating such innovative schemes have any idea, what it means to be a soldier. https://t.co/nA6fMJKPpt
— Maj Gen (Dr) YashMor (@YashMor5) June 14, 2022
Some former officers warned that the short tenure would lead to disgruntled youngsters.
Death knell for armed forces, ToD not tested, NO pilot project, straight implementation. Will also lead to Militarization of society, nearly 40,000(75%) youth year on year back rejected & dejected without a job, semi trained in arms ex Agniveers. Not a good idea. No one gains. https://t.co/tmt3qekeup
— Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia Retd (@Ptr6Vb) June 13, 2022
1/2. Tour of Duty (TOD) for Mil not in keeping with the est Mil Tradition, Ethos, Morals, Values. It will adversely effect efficiency & effectiveness of Mil. It will create disgruntled youth tourists in Mil Tourism Orgs with four yrs job like we have treated EC and SSCO offrs.
— Maj Gen Satbir Singh SM (@satbirsm) June 13, 2022
I do not agree. It will degrade the Army’s ability to win wars. Unfortunately, the decision makers have not fought a war or know what it means to exercise command & control when the bullets are flying or when you have to assault a well prepared position. https://t.co/8WdkC1jglY
— Brig V Mahalingam (@BrigMahalingam) June 14, 2022
Reducing the pension burden of the defence ministry has been cited as one of the key reasons for introducing the short-term recruitment scheme. According to The Indian Express, the defence ministry has set aside or paid over Rs 3.3 lakh crore in pension since 2020.
However, one retired officer said that paying pensions was cheaper than the cost of defeat on the battlefield. Another pointed out that Agnipath recruits too would not be committed to the armed forces given the absence of financial support after their short stints.
A veteran's view- as recieved. Anyone under the delusion that an 'intern' on a 4 yr tour of duty will match up to the Himalayan challenges & place 'Izzat' of the paltan before life & limb is clearly hallucinating.
— Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia Retd (@Ptr6Vb) June 14, 2022
If you think pension is expensive- try defeat. pic.twitter.com/PPPEvcA8vl
There is no doubt that burgeoning pension is a cause of concern.But this new recruitment policy may make candidates more desperate as for four years psychologically they won’t be with their hearts and minds for Nam,namak &Nishan of the unit but will be planning their career ..1/2
— AmardeepSingh Bhatia (@col_amardeep) June 16, 2022
By Thursday afternoon, the Centre issued a clarification seeking to assuage the concerns of protesters about the limited tenure of service as well as their employment prospects after their tours ended. But some pointed out that even retired personnel who have served full terms in the armed forces struggle to find employment and support.
Lateral absorption in CAPF is just smoke. The plight of the retired soldiers is visible in various Malls, showrooms etc. The soldiers after retirement have no choice but to take up demeaning jobs.
— Col Dinesh Kumar(R) (@kkhushal9) June 16, 2022
There will never be an honest feedback on Agniveers, because this scheme has to declared success at any cost. Onus will be on Armed Forces. Ground level problems would be overlooked.
— Col NS Malhan (@col_malhan) June 16, 2022
But the scheme also has its supporters. One retired officer agreed that younger recruits were needed and suggested that the government and defence ministry take a balanced approach to bringing in reforms while factoring in economic concerns.
There are two ways of making an Army more agile. One is to infuse new blood albeit minus experience or hardening and other making the old experienced bones more agile by infusing mechanisation. TOD is recommended by former school while our active frontiers require the latter.
— Maj Gen Shail Jha (Retd) (@shelljaws1334) June 12, 2022