Introduced in 2022, the Agnipath scheme aims to make the Armed Forces leaner and reduce defense pension expenses.

The Centre has reportedly decided to revisit the Agnipath scheme following the Lok Sabha election results and calls for a review by NDA allies, including Nitish Kumar’s JDU. Top officers from at least 10 ministries are said to be reevaluating the recruitment scheme for the Armed Forces. They have been instructed to propose ways to make the scheme more attractive to young people, according to reports.

A panel of secretaries is expected to present its final recommendations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his return from the G7 Summit in Italy, as per reports. The Prime Minister’s Office will make the final decision on any changes to the scheme after considering recommendations and feedback from other stakeholders, including state governments.

Meanwhile, the army has also conducted its own internal assessment. As per the Army’s internal review, potential adjustments to the Agnipath scheme include increasing the retention rate of Agniveers (those selected under the scheme) from 25% to 60-70% for regular troops and around 75% for technical and specialist soldiers.

The Indian Army has suggested extending the service period from 4 years to 7-8 years and raising the entry age for Agniveers in the technical field to 23 years. A proposal has also been made to provide ex-gratia for disabilities incurred during training and managing exit processes through a professional agency. And if an Agniveer dies in war, their family should receive a subsistence allowance.

Another recommendation involves increasing the training period. Before the announcement of the Agnipath scheme, the training period in the Indian Army ranged from 37 to 42 weeks, which has since been reduced to 24 weeks.

Introduced in 2022, the Agnipath scheme aims to make the Armed Forces leaner and reduce defense pension expenses. Under this recruitment scheme, personnel are enlisted in the Army, Navy, and Air Force on a short-term contract of four years.

Known as Agniveers, these recruits are sourced either directly from educational institutions or through recruitment rallies. They are expected to serve for a four-year period without eligibility for a pension. Only 25% of the annual recruits are allowed to continue for another 15 years under permanent commission. Currently, two batches of 40,000 Agniveers are serving in the Army, with three batches of 7,385 Agniveers having completed training in the Navy, and 4,955 Agniveer Vayu trainees in the Air Force.

The scheme’s provision that only 25% of recruits will be retained while the remainder is released has sparked discontent among army aspirants and drawn criticism from the defense community. Critics argue that the scheme compromises the forces’ warfighting capabilities and presents an unfair arrangement for soldiers compared to other government employees.

The review of the Agnipath scheme is part of the NDA’s 100-day agenda. The scheme became a major issue during the Lok Sabha elections, particularly in states like Haryana and Rajasthan, facing criticism from the opposition in other traditional recruitment belts for the Indian Armed Forces, such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh.

The opposition, especially the Congress party, criticized the scheme for not providing job security amid rising economic uncertainty. NDA allies Janata Dal (United) and Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party also called for a review due to widespread resentment.

The JDU has pointed out that the Agniveer scheme negatively impacted the 2024 Lok Sabha election results. KC Tyagi, JDU chief spokesperson, has said there is resentment against the Agniveer scheme in several states. There is a need to reconsider it, the JDU stated. As a crucial ally of the NDA government at a time when the BJP has failed to secure a clear majority, the JDU’s stance on key policies holds substantial weight.

At an election rally in Haryana, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi vehemently opposed the scheme. He alleged that it was imposed to reduce pension costs and vowed to revoke it if Congress came to power. The Congress manifesto echoed this sentiment, pledging to scrap the scheme and revert to the previous recruitment system, which allowed soldiers to serve for 16 years.