A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court, urging that the court order the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the damage to public property, including railways, and violent protests against the Centre’s Agnipath scheme. Advocate Vishal Tiwari filed the PIL, which also requested that the Centre, as well as the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Haryana, and Rajasthan, submit a status report on the violent protests.
In his petition, Tiwari also requested that an expert committee be formed under the chairmanship of a retired apex court judge to investigate the scheme and its impact on national security and the Army.
He also asked the Supreme Court to direct the Centre and the states named as parties to appoint claim commissioners in accordance with the guidelines laid out by the apex court in its 2009 verdict in a Suo Motu case, brought after incidents of damage to public property.
“The petitioner would like to bring to the court’s attention the devastating condition of the country as a result of the Agnipath scheme launched by Respondent No.1 (Union of India) through its Ministry of Defence,” the plea stated. According to the report, the consequences have been far-reaching for the citizens of this country, resulting in increased vandalism and protests, as well as severe property and goods destruction.
“The country is again experiencing social unrest and fatal condition due to the Respondent No. 1’s Ministry of Defence’s recent launch of the Agnipath scheme on June 14, 2022. The Agnipath programme was created to help recruit young people for all three military branches. It is a four-year contract scheme that involves a recruitment process for individuals with ranks below that of an officer with the goal of deploying fitter and younger troops on the front lines “It was stated.
According to the petition, the country has been experiencing severe and uncontrollable mass violence and anti-scheme protests since the scheme’s commencement.
“The main source of concern raised by this scheme is that the 4-year service requirement is excessive, and there are no pension benefits. During their protests, defence aspirants claimed that the Agnipath scheme leads to a road of uncertainty for soldiers who will be forced to leave the military after four years.
After the four-year contract is completed, 25% of the total force will be retained, while the remaining personnel will be forced to leave, putting their future in jeopardy “It was stated.
It also stated that, in addition to no job security and protection, there will be no pension benefits, including the disability pension, and that soldiers will receive a lump sum payment of slightly more than Rs 11 lakh when they end their fourth tenure.
“In comparison to permanent recruits, this contractual fixed recruitment scheme, according to various experienced military veterans, may compromise training, morale, and commitment. Such an experimental radical change in the military’s structure and pattern could create serious strategic uncertainties, jeopardising the country’s national security “It was stated.
According to the petition, the issue has sparked widespread protests across the country, and on June 17, angry Army aspirants set fire to at least 20 bogies of the New Delhi-Bhagalpur Vikramshila Express and the New Delhi-Darbhanga Bihar Sampark Kranti Express at Lakhisarai and Samastipur stations, blocking several state highways.
“The intensity of such protest has been hard-hitting, as a result of which Eastern Central Railway has cancelled 164 trains,” the petition said. “Official reports have also confirmed that a large number of passengers have been seen stranded on various railway stations, including Patna Junction, and people are also standing in bus terminals waiting for buses as the highways are also blocked due to the protest,” it added.
What is Agnipath Scheme?
The Agnipath Scheme, India’s new defence recruiting policy, was announced by the Indian government. The Air Force, Navy, and Army are all included in the scheme.
The scheme’s primary goal is to reduce the age range of the armed forces while also lowering the escalating pension costs. Because more money was being spent on salaries and pensions rather than on much-needed military modernization, the scheme was implemented.
The Government of India’s aim with the Agnipath Scheme is to reduce the high salary and pension bill in the budget. The Defense Budget for 2022-2023 was Rs. 525166 crores, while the pension accounts received Rs. 119696 crores. The revenue expenditure budget was set at 233000 crore, which includes salaries and maintenance costs.
Under the scheme, young aspirants aged 17.5 to 23 will be hired directly from educational institutions or through recruiting rallies. They will be hired on a contract basis. They will serve for 3.5 years after completing a six-month intensive training programme.
After four years, only 25% of the army’s most motivated and high-performing personnel will be offered a 15-year extension in military services. These troops will be known as Agniveers.
Benefits
The government will reward those who join the military with favourable terms. Aside from a good salary, reportedly around Rs 40,000 per month during the fourth year of service, the administration will also contribute to the fund’s corpus, which will provide around Rs 11 lakh in retirement benefits upon exit.
They will be given preference in Central Armed Forces and Assam Rifles recruitment.
Soldiers will contribute about a third of their pay to the fund, with the government matching their contributions. Soldiers will also be aided in obtaining educational loans by the government.
Agniveers will be given preference when recruiting for the Central Armed Police Forces, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Currently, the army recruits young people for a 10-year short service commission. This 10-year contract can be extended to 14 years.
In a recent development, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) confirmed on Twitter that 10% of vacancies in the Assam Rifles and CAPFs will be reserved for Agniveers who have served for four years. For the recruitment of Assam Riffles and CAPFs, the Agniveers will be given a three-year age relaxation over the prescribed upper age limit. Furthermore, for the first batch of Agniveers, there will be a 5-year age relaxation.
Concern of Aspirants
A disadvantage for recruits is that they may lose their pension eligibility. Second, this would be the end of the road for 75% of the recruits in terms of joining the army. It has also been chastised for failing to provide permanent jobs to recruits, as well as the promised pensions and healthcare benefits after they retire.