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The primary objective behind this proposal is to grant gratuity and ex-servicemen (ESM) status to Agniveers, making them eligible for a range of benefits applicable to ESM.
The Indian Army has reviewed the Agnipath scheme and they have made several suggestions to improve it. These include the percentage of Agniveers, who join the regular service after 4 years of service, should be raised from the existing 25% to 60-70% for the regular troops and nearly 75% for technical and specialist soldiers including the special forces. They have also recommended increase in Agniveers training period.
According to reports in The Financial Express, defence and security establishment said that the armed forces along with the defence ministry are assessing the utility of the Agnipath scheme. The Indian Army proposed extending the duration of service from 4 years to 7-8 years to accommodate the requirement. Further, they suggested to raise the entry age in technical stream for Agniveers up to 23 years. They also recommended that ex-gratia should be provided for disability during training and that the exit management should be done professionally. Furthermore, if an Agniveer dies during the war, then the family of the deceased should be provided with subsistence allowance.
These changes, however, are not yet formal recommendations to the government. These are proposals that are still being discussed by the Armed Forces.
The Armyâs Proposal to Extend Training Duration for Agniveers
In the Army, the duration that was taken to train the soldiers before the introduction of the scheme was Agnipath was between 37 to 42 weeks. From the feedback received by the Army, this kind of training had been affected by the reduction of this training period to 24 weeks for the Agniveers.
Therefore, the army is considering extending the training duration for Agniveers back to its original length, aligning it with that of regular soldiers. This move also includes increasing the overall service period to approximately 7 years from the current 4 years.
The primary objective behind this proposal is to grant gratuity and ex-servicemen (ESM) status to Agniveers, making them eligible for a range of benefits applicable to ESM. Moreover, the entire seven-year service period for Agniveers may be counted as part of pensionable service for those who are permanently retained in the force, source based reports say.
Protecting Seniority
Discussions are underway to safeguard the seniority of Agniveers who are trasferred to the Central Armed Police Forces, ensuring they do not start from the bottom in the paramilitary forces. Additionally, plans are being made for certain graduate Agniveers to potentially form a pool of defence civilians, enhancing their career prospects and contributions to the defence sector.
Agnipath Scheme
Introduced in June 2022 following a two-year hiatus in military recruitment due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Agnipath scheme aimed to recruit soldiers, airmen, and sailors for a four-year term in the Armed Forces. At the end of this tenure, up to 25% of participants can voluntarily apply for regular service, subject to merit and organisational needs.
The biggest difference between a soldier employed on regular service and one recruited under the Agnipath scheme is that the former will draw a pension after retirement, while an Agniveer, who is not in the 25% who gets absorbed after four years, is not entitled to any pensionary benefit.
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