Agnipath review on cards, but no increase in four-year tenure

Ajay Banerjee

New Delhi, June 13

The much-demanded “review” of the Agnipath scheme will have four key points — providing financial support in case of death or disability, deciding on tenure of service, increase in number of those being retained after the four-year tenure and a specialised agency handling job placement for those not retained in the service.

These points would be put up by the Department of Military Affairs before the Ministry of Defence, sources said. A review of the scheme is expected after allies of the newly formed NDA government demanded that the scheme needed a fresh look.

Kin may get subsistence allowance

• The ceiling of retaining 25% Agniveers as regular soldiers after 4-year tenure under the Agnipath scheme may go up
• In case of an Agniveer dying in line of duty, family (father, mother, invalid sister/brother) to get ‘subsistence allowance’
• Agniveers who get disabled in the line of duty to be entitled to full benefits as in the case of regular soldiers

Sources, however, said there was no move to increase the four-year tenure of the recruits. “It will be counter-productive to increase the tenure as it will mean extending uncertainty for the recruits, whether they are being absorbed full-time into the Army or not,” a senior functionary said.

The Agnipath scheme entails the recruitment of youth in the armed forces for four years. After that period, 25 per cent of them will be retained as full-time soldiers, while others will be relieved of the service.

The three services want that the ceiling of retaining 25 per cent soldiers be increased in phases. The first increase should be up to 50 per cent, followed by another increase to take it further higher. That increase has not been specified in the proposal. In case of an Agniveer dying in the line of duty, his family (father, mother, invalid sister or brother) be given a “subsistence allowance” for life, is part of the proposal. Since those recruited under the scheme cannot marry, the proposal does not mention the wife as a beneficiary.

Under the new proposal, Agniveers who get disabled in line of duty are to be made entitled for full benefits like regular soldiers who get free medical facilities for life and disability allowance.

In December last year, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence chaired by BJP MP Jual Oram recommended that families of Agniveers, name for troops recruited under the scheme, who die in line of duty be provided the same benefits as given to the families of regular soldiers. The present rules do not have the provision of pension for the family of the Agniveers dying in line of duty. In case a regular soldier gets martyred, his family (wife or parents) gets pension for life.