India revamps armed forces entry with Agnipath scheme

India on Tuesday announced a new recruitment model, Agnipath, for the short-term induction of personnel in the armed forces, with the new scheme replacing the legacy system of recruitment to lower the age profile of the three services, ensure a fitter military, and create a technically adept warfighting force capable of meeting future challenges.

- Rahul Singh

NEW DELHI: The far-reaching and much-debated recruitment reform will change the composition of several British-era regiments that recruited soldiers from specific castes such as Jats, Rajputs and Sikhs, and create an All-India, All-Class (AIAC) system to provide equal opportunities to youth across the country, top government officials said.

The Agnipath scheme, cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security on Tuesday, seeks to recruit personnel for only four years with a provision to retain 25% of them in the regular cadre for 15 more years after another round of screening, enhance the operational preparedness of the armed forces, and create a skilled and dynamic work force for employment in other sectors, top government officials said. There will be no other avenue for recruitment for personnel below officer rank (PBOR) in the army, air force and navy.

The recruits will be called Agniveers.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh announced the scheme, which has been at the centre of an intense discussion over how it will play out, and its implications for national security, at a media briefing in the presence of the three chiefs.

The scheme will provide India's youth an opportunity to serve in the armed forces, and it has been introduced to strengthen the security of the country, the defence minister said. "The youthful profile it will create will benefit the armed forces as these recruits can be easily trained for new technologies, and their health and fitness levels will also be better... Don't doubt the scheme. It will strengthen national security," Singh said.