Agnipath Scheme: Why Indian Army, Navy and IAF are trying to expand Agniveer retention quota up to 75%? | Today’s news
The armed forces are planning to increase the percentage of Agniveers who can be retained in the service after completing their four-year tenure, according to an Indian Express report.
Currently, under the Agnipath scheme, the overall percentage of Agniveers retained remains at 25 percent across all three services.
The Agniveers began their training in early 2023, with the first batches set to complete their four-year term later that year.
All will be released from service initially and only a select number of these Agniveers who volunteer to serve in the defense forces will be re-enrolled as regular soldiers based on merit.
IE reported that the Navy is trying to retain about 75% of the sailors who joined under the Agniveer program. The Army and Indian Air Force may seek an increase of around 50%.
Currently, the Defense Forces continue to maintain a retention percentage of 25%.
The Army, IAF and Navy have not yet officially commented on the matter.
Why do forces seek greater retention?
According to an Indian Express report, the defense forces feel the need to retain more Agniveers as they need a larger pool of trained and experienced soldiers.
Agniveers have participated in many operations over the past four years and are adept at handling new technology and weapons, making them a good fit for the force.
The increase in retention percentage is likely to be discussed further between the services and the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), which had earlier received a proposal for the same but returned it for reconsideration.
What happens if the increased percentage is not approved?
Sources told the Indian Express that if an increase in the percentage of retained Agniveers is not approved, some specialized units could take a higher percentage of retained Agniveer soldiers who are more experienced, while other units may take a larger number of Agniveer soldiers who will still be serving their four-year term.
This can be done while keeping the overall retention percentage at 25 percent, which is the currently approved level.
For example, IE stated that the Army’s newly established Bhairava battalions may eventually have a higher percentage of retained soldiers than regular infantry battalions, which may have a higher percentage of Agniveers undergoing their four-year tenure.
Army to increase vacancies in Agniveer
The Indian Army is likely to expand its Agniveer recruitment significantly and plans to release around 90,000 vacancies in the upcoming training year. This marks a substantial increase over the previous cycle when about 70,000 Agniveers were trained at various regimental centres.
The gradual expansion of Agniveer’s intake over the next two years is a targeted strategy to address the massive staffing deficit. As announced late last year, the armed forces are working to address a shortfall of roughly 1.8 million troops, making this increase in recruitment critical to maintaining operational readiness.
