Defense Minister unveiled the ‘Agneepath’ scheme on Tuesday Rajnath Singh Said that “the transformational initiative will give them a youth profile”. armyThe Navy and Air Force”. Under the new system, men and women between the ages of 17.5 and 21 will be brought into the armed forces.
A total of 46,000 soldiers will be recruited this year on a four-year contract. “Under the Agneepath scheme, Indian youth will be provided an opportunity to serve in the armed forces as ‘Agnivars’,” the Defense Minister said.
After four years, 25% of the Agniveers will be retained or re-enlisted in the regular cadre on the basis of merit, willingness and medical fitness. After that he will serve for the full term of next 15 years. Another 75% of the Agniveers will be monetized with an exit or “service fund” package of Rs 11-12 lakh, along with their monthly contribution, skill certificates and bank loans to help them in their second career.
Youth Profile for Armed Forces
The “Agneepath” scheme, earlier named as “Tour of Duty”, was launched in the presence of the Chiefs of the three Services. The Defense Ministry said the scheme came into force with immediate effect and would regulate enrollment for all three services, meaning the existing structure of employment for soldiers would end.
Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said the scheme would ensure a wider talent pool for recruitment into the armed forces, as well as women being inducted into the armed forces.
army chief general Manoj Pandey He said that the objective of this scheme is to bring about a paradigm shift in recruitment in the Armed Forces. He said this would help in ensuring optimum balance between youth and experience in the Army. General Pandey said the operational capability of the Army would be fully maintained during the initial implementation phase of the plan. At present, the Army recruits youth under Short Service Commission for an initial tenure of 10 years, which can be extended up to 14 years.
Air Chief Marshal VR Choudhary said that the Indian Air Force is trying to trace the source of dynamic youth and it will train and expose them to high-tech environment and hone their skills for future employment.
“The new scheme therefore gives the IAF an opportunity to draw from the vast pool of talent available in the country,” he said.
, Average age in army reduced from 32′ to 26′
Military officials said the new system would help bring down the average age of the armed forces. General Pandey said that in the Army, the average age will come down from 32 to 26.
“A more youthful profile will help soldiers more easily train in new technologies, and their health and fitness levels will be much better,” Singh said, adding that once they leave the armed forces, employers will be able to provide skilled workers. will benefit from.
Lt Gen Anil Puri said Agniveer would be part of a ‘future ready’ soldier. He said, “Agniveer will be the young savior of India. After being with us for 4 years, the resume and resume of an Agniveer will be very unique. He will stand out in the crowd with his attitude and skills.”
restructuring of defense budget
The new scheme, which has been announced after extensive deliberations over the past two years, is also aimed at ballooning wages and cutting pension bills.
The defense budget of Rs 5,25,166 crore for 2022-23 includes Rs 1,19,696 crore for defense pension. Rs 2,33,000 crore was allocated for revenue expenditure. Revenue expenditure includes expenditure on payment of salaries and maintenance of establishments.
India has the second largest active armed force in the world with approximately 1.45 million active duty personnel.
With reserves and paramilitary forces, India has over 5 million military personnel – above China and Russia – and has the fourth largest army in terms of total personnel.
However, it ranks 9th in terms of total military personnel per 1,000 persons; and 10th among active duty personnel per 1,000 persons.
It has the third largest military budget in the world after the US ($801 billion) and China ($292 billion). However, India spends a major part of this budget on pension, salary and maintenance.
In terms of military spending as a percentage of GDP, India ranks sixth in the world.
according to a report by global firepower (GFP), which monitors military capability and defense network, India has the fourth most powerful army in the world.
The GFP ranking is based on each country’s potential combat-ability in land, sea and air fought by traditional methods.
(with inputs from agencies)