Good News: Good news for the firefighters… now 75% of the soldiers can get permanent jobs, not 25%! All three armies are planning for the future

Digital Desk. A major change can be seen in the Agneepath Yojana (Agniveer Yojana) launched in the year 2022. Till now, only 25 percent of the Agniveers who completed four years of service were given permanent appointment (retention), but now all three services – Army, Navy and Air Force – have proposed to increase this limit. The Defense Ministry is considering this proposal. If this proposal is approved, a large number of firefighters will get the opportunity of permanent service, which will increase the availability of trained and experienced soldiers to the army.

What is Agniveer Yojana?

The central government had launched the Agneepath scheme in June 2022. Under this, youth aged between 17.5 to 21 years are recruited in the Army, Navy and Air Force for four years. These youth are called ‘Agniveer’.

According to the existing system, after completion of four years of service…

• Only 25 percent of Agniveers get permanent appointment on the basis of merit, medical fitness and requirement of the army.
• Selected soldiers further serve in the army for at least 15 years.
• Their monthly salary can be around Rs 40 thousand to Rs 60 thousand.
• The remaining 75 per cent of Agniveers are given a ‘Service Fund Package’ of approximately Rs 11.71 lakh, which includes contributions from both the government and Agniveers.

The objective of this plan was to reduce the average age of the army, reduce expenditure on pensions and invest more in modern weapons and technology.

What changes are proposed now?

According to the current rule, only a maximum of 25 percent of the firefighters in each batch can be given permanent service. Now all three armies have suggested increasing this limit as per their respective needs.

However, this proposal has not been approved yet and discussions are going on at the Defense Ministry level.

Why did the demand for increasing retention arise?

1. Difficult to achieve complete expertise in four years

The Army believes that it takes three to four years or more for a soldier to become fully proficient in many technical positions. The training period is long in many technical branches, especially in the Navy. In such a situation, the exit of trained soldiers after four years is like not getting the full benefit of the training resources.

2. Challenge of modern technology and weapons

After Operation Sindoor, the use of new technologies, modern weapons and advanced platforms has increased rapidly in the three armies. Long-term training is considered necessary to gain proficiency on these systems. Therefore, the army wants to keep trained firefighters with them for a longer period.

3. Experiences from Operation Sindoor

The performance of the Agniveers during Operation Sindoor was considered positive. At the same time, the Army also realized that soldiers with continuous field experience and long service periods prove to be more effective in difficult situations. Based on this experience, a need was felt to increase retention.

4. Need to fill the shortage of soldiers

Every year a large number of soldiers retire from the army. At present there is said to be a shortage of about 1.8 lakh soldiers, which is planned to be fulfilled in the next two years. In such a situation, providing permanent service to more trained firefighters can be helpful in overcoming this shortage.

What will happen if approval is not given?

Even if the government does not increase the retention limit, the Army can still adopt a strategy of deploying more experienced firemen in special units. For example, specialized units like the Bhairav ​​battalion may have more retained Agniveers, while general infantry units may continue to recruit new Agniveers. With this, despite the total retention being 25 percent, experienced soldiers will be available in important units.

What other changes are possible for Agniveer?

Apart from increasing the retention, the government is also considering two other proposals—

• To provide lifelong financial assistance to the families of firefighters martyred in the line of duty.
• To provide lifelong free medical facilities to firefighters who become disabled during service.

The aim of these proposals is believed to be to resolve the major concerns raised regarding the Agneepath scheme.

What will be the impact of the possible change?

If retention is increased then many effects can be seen –

• The army will get more experienced and trained soldiers.
• A large number of firefighters will get the opportunity of permanent employment and long service.
• Due to more permanent appointments, the financial burden of pension on the government may increase in future.
• Increase in permanent retention may affect the number of positions available for new recruitment. However, the army is working on a plan to make about 90 thousand new recruitments next year.