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…
