Agnipath | Making a tactical withdrawal

The Union government has announced a major overhaul of the Agnipath military recruitment scheme, introducing a ‘Second Tour of Duty’ that opens the pathway for 100 per cent absorption of Agniveers as regular soldiers. Launched in June 2022, the original scheme, for personnel below officer rank, allowed youths between the ages 17.5 and 21 years to join the armed forces for a four-year tenure, after which 25 per cent of them would be retained for regular service based on merit, while the rest would exit with a severance package (Seva Nidhi Fund)and help for future employment. Agnipath was designed to lower the forces’ age profile, create a technologically savvy military and reduce a growing defence pension bill.