Now, with the BJP short of a majority on its own in the Lok Sabha, crucial alliance partners — Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party — too have called for a review of the contentious scheme. Here is why.

What is the Agnipath scheme?

Agnipath was aimed at recruiting personnel below officer ranks — soldiers, airmen, and sailors who are not commissioned officers — to the Indian Armed Forces for a period of four years. At the end of this tenure, upto 25% of these recruits, the so called ‘Agniveers’, can join the services on a permanent commission (another 15 years), subject to merit and organizational requirements.

Aspirants between the ages of 17.5 years and 23 years are eligible to apply (the upper age limit was increased from 21), and the recruitment standards remain the same as with regular service, prior to Agnipath. At present, all sailors, airmen, and soldiers, except the technical cadre of the medical branch, are recruited to the services under the scheme, which has also opened doors for the recruitment of women to the IAF and the Navy.

The scheme was announced in June 2022, after military recruitment was paused for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

How are Agniveers compensated?

Agniveers draw a basic salary of Rs 30,000-Rs 40,000 per month, and are entitled to other risk and hardship allowances.

They contribute 30% of their monthly emoluments to the Seva Nidhi fund, which the government matches. At the end of their service, they receive approximately Rs 11.71 lakhs (with interest) as a lump sum severance package from this fund, which is exempt from income tax.

If they die on duty, their family receives a lump sum of Rs 1 crore (including the Seva Nidhi package), and full pay for the period which the soldier could not serve. In case of disability, an Agniveer can receive upto Rs 44 lakh as compensation, depending on the percentage of disability suffered which is attributed to, or aggravated by military service.

How is Agnipath different from regular military service?

Unlike soldiers in regular service, Agniveers do not draw pensions post-retirement. Only the 25% of Agniveers who get absorbed into the forces after four years will receive pensionary benefits, although the initial four years of service will not be considered for these.

This is the biggest change that Agnipath has brought in. Not only does the scheme will help reduce the Armed Forces’ permanent force levels, this in turn will considerably cut the defense pension bill, which has been a major concern for governments for many years.

Why was Agnipath introduced?

Apart from the unsaid intention of reducing the Armed Forces’ wage and pension bill, the government has argued that the scheme will ensure the forces’ “youthful profile”. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said in January 2023 that “Agnipath is a game changer for the Armed Forces… [and make them] youthful, high-tech and ultra-modern”.

At the time the scheme was brought in, the average age in the Armed Forces was 32 years, which Agnipath will bring down to 26 years, if implemented.

Moreover, the government has argued that after the completion of their service, Agniveers would contribute to the civil society “through their education, skill, discipline and other qualities”. “This will also lead to availability of a higher-skilled workforce to the economy which will be helpful in productivity gain and overall GDP growth,” Singh had said during the scheme’s launch, in 2022.

Lt Gen Anil Puri, additional secretary, Department of Military Affairs, had said due to the scheme’s announcement that the government will help rehabilitate soldiers who leave the services after four years, and provide them with skill certificates and bridge courses.

Why has Agnipath seen such strong opposition?

Critics say that the scheme creates a “lesser” cadre of soldiers, who work on the same tasks as those with full commission, but with lesser pay, benefits, and prospects.

A day before Punjab and Himachal Pradesh went to polls on June 1, Rahul wrote an open letter to President Droupadi Murmu. “I write to you… with an appeal to provide justice to Agniveers, who laid down their lives in service to the nation. The discrimination in the nature and extent of benefits accorded to the families of our slain Agniveers, compared to regular soldiers warrants your urgent attention,” he wrote.

On the ground, this disparity has caused significant disaffection among those who see military recruitment as a path to economic stability and upward mobility. Multiple parties, including the Congress, AAP, RJD, and Samajwadi Party have called for the scheme to be scrapped.

Is the government willing to roll back the scheme?

Recently, the government has indicated that it is willing to alter the scheme if required, but without compromising on the Armed Forces’ youthful profile. The Indian Express reported last month that the Forces too are carrying out an internal assessment on the impact of the scheme, based on which they will make recommendations to the government on possible changes.

All three services are learned to have submitted their observations to the Department of Military Affairs.

How many Agniveers have been recruited so far?

In the Army, two batches of 40,000 Agniveers have completed training and are under posting. The third batch of 20,000 began training in November 2023. In the Navy, three batches of 7,385 Agniveers have completed training. In the IAF, 4,955 Agniveers have completed training.