Defence Minister Rajnath Singh unveiled a recruitment scheme for the armed forces `Agnipath’, approved by the Cabinet Committee. Under this, Indian youth would be granted an opportunity to get inducted into the armed services, he said.
“Under the Agnipath scheme, efforts are to create a youthful profile of the armed forces. It would help to train them for new technologies, and also improve their health levels. This scheme will increase employment opportunities with new skills in different sectors,” he said.
Under the Tour of Duty (ToD) scheme, soldiers are set to be recruited on a short-term as well as a long-term basis. As per the initial proposal, the recruitment of soldiers in the Army is set to be conducted under the new scheme in the immediate future and the duration of service for 50 per cent of the new recruits could be between three to five years while the rest may have a much longer tenure.
As per the original proposal, some soldiers would be released after three years of service while some others would be released after around five years. Some of the soldiers recruited under the scheme could have a longer duration of service. However, these proposals saw some changes when the scheme was given final touches in the last few weeks.
Under the new scheme, around 45,000 to 50,000 soldiers will be recruited annually, and most will leave the service in just four years. Of the total annual recruits, only 25 per cent will be allowed to continue for another 15 years under permanent commission.
The move will make the permanent force levels much leaner for the over 13-lakh strong armed forces in the country. This will, in turn, considerably reduce the defence pension bill, which has been a major concern for governments for many years.
Once selected, the aspirants will go through training for six months and then will be deployed for three and a half years. During this period, they will get a starting salary of Rs 30,000, along with additional benefits which will go up to Rs 40,000 by the end of the four-year service.
Importantly, during this period, 30 per cent of their salary will be set aside under a Seva Nidhi programme, and the government will contribute an equal amount every month, and it will also accrue interest. At the end of the four-year period, each soldier will get Rs 11.71 lakh as a lump sum amount, which will be tax-free. They will also get a Rs 48 lakh life insurance cover for the four years.
In case of death, the payout will be over Rs 1 crore, including pay for the unserved tenure. However, after four years, only 25 per cent of the batch will be recruited back into their respective services, for a period of 15 years. For those who are re-selected, the initial four-year period will not be considered for retirement benefits.
Currently, the Army recruits’ young people under the Short Service Commission for an initial tenure of 10 years which is extendable up to 14 years. Under the new scheme, people to be recruited under the ToD for three years and beyond will be eligible to be deployed as combatants in key forward locations and there will be no restrictions in their roles, the people cited above said.
The proposal, which has been part of broad reforms envisaged for the forces, has been deliberated upon extensively in the last two years. The scheme will benefit the Army financially, according to the people cited above.
