Admiral Arun Prakash, a war hero and gallantry award-winning former navy chief, has questioned the combat efficiency of Agniveers amid Opposition demands for rollback of the controversial new military recruitment scheme under which soldiers are enlisted on a short-term basis.
“A lot of attention is (rightly) being focused on in-service disparities and poor post-demob prospects of young Agniveers. But is anyone worried about the huge operational handicap imposed on combat units, forced to accept barely trained recruits, fit only for sentry duties?” asked Admiral Prakash, who helmed the navy between July 2004 and October 2006, in a post on X.
Responding to him, army veteran Sachin Pawar said: “Nothing will change sir unless the three chiefs put their foot down and demand the changes to Agniveer that just might help the forces tide over. It’s crystal clear that the scheme is detrimental to the armed forces…”
In his maiden speech as the leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha on Monday, Rahul Gandhi attacked the government for launching the scheme in June 2022 without any “consultation” with stakeholders. Criticising the scheme, Rahul said the government had ensured there are two types of "jawans" — those who receive pension and those who don't.
"Agniveer is use-and-throw labour. One jawan is getting pension, while another is not. You are creating a divide between jawans,” he said.
Countering his allegations, defence minister Rajnath Singh said the Congress leader was spreading misinformation in Parliament as the government provides ₹1 crore in compensation to the family of an Agniveer martyr.
Under the Agnipath scheme, soldiers known as Agniveers are recruited in the army, air force and the navy on a short-term contractual basis for four years. They are not entitled to gratuity, pension and 75 per cent of them will be demobilised after the completion of four years while the rest will be retained in the regular cadre, based on merit and organisational requirements. Before the scheme, a fit general-duty soldier had to serve 15-18 years.
Though the government provides a one-time compensation of ₹1 crore for death, the Agnipath scheme lacks the extensive benefits available to regular soldiers. In the case of a regular soldier who becomes a martyr, the government pays ₹50 lakh as insurance, ex gratia payout between ₹35 lakh and ₹45 lakh and a gratuity. Besides, his widow or parents are entitled to a lifelong family pension and health and canteen facilities. His children, too, are allowed free education till graduation.
Sources in the defence ministry said on Wednesday that the Centre was considering reviewing the scheme by increasing the 25 per cent intake percentage and the years of service from four.
"The Opposition had made it a big issue in the recently concluded parliamentary elections and an internal report suggested that it cost the BJP several seats in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh,” said a ministry official.
The government found itself mired in another controversy last year when former army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane wrote in his memoir Four Stars of Destiny (excerpts of which were released late last year) that Agnipath had taken the army “by surprise” and was a “bolt out of the blue” for the navy and the IAF, prompting some veterans to accuse the government of implementing the scheme without consultation.
