Strongly defending the Agnipath scheme that has faced criticism from several quarters, PM Narendra Modi said short-term recruitment of soldiers was necessary for keeping the armed forces young and combat-ready at all times, and accused the opposition of trying to mislead the youth and playing politics over national security issues.
Addressing the 25th Kargil Vijay Diwas celebrations at Drass, Modi said his govt had made defence reforms a top priority unlike previous regimes, rubbishing claims that the Agnipath scheme rolled out in June 2022 was meant to save pension money.
“The fact that the average age of Indian soldiers was higher than the global average was a major concern discussed in Parliament and various committees for decades, but there was no will power to address it. The aim of Agnipath is to make the armed forces younger and keep them continuously fit for war,” Modi said, in his first public response to attacks on Agnipath scheme by opposition which made the short-tern recruitment scheme one of the key themes of the Lok Sabha election campaign.
It is “necessary reform” undertaken by the military, PM stressed.
“Unfortunately, such a sensitive issue related to national security has been made a subject of politics by some people. They are the same people who weakened our armed forces by committing scams worth thousands of millions. They are the ones who did not want IAF to get modern fighter jets (Rafales). They had also made preparations to lock the (indigenous) Tejas fighter in a box,” he said, taking a swipe at the previous UPA govt by recalling that the Army lacked bulletproof jackets before he took over and the UPA govt allocated £50 mn for one rank-one pension scheme.
The very same people are spreading the canard that the govt came with the Agnipath scheme to save pension money, said Modi, stressing that the question of pension for those being recruited today would arise after 30 years.
PM Modi said, “By then, I would be 105. Why would the govt take a decision for it today and face abuse? We could have left that for the govts in the future. But we respected this decision taken by the forces because for us, the security of the country is paramount, not party or politics.
“The truth is that the Agnipath scheme will increase the country’s strength and the country will also get capable youth. Announcements have earlier been made about giving priority (in jobs) to Agniveers in the private sector and paramilitary forces.”
The PM said those “misleading” the youth today had no regard for the armed forces in the past. In this context, he cited his govt’s implementation of the “one rank, one pension (OROP)” scheme, under which ex-servicemen have been given more than £12.5 bn till now, and the construction of the national war memorial.
Stressing the importance of upgrading military technologies amid the ongoing geopolitical flux, the PM said the armed forces not only need the latest weapons and equipment, but also “a modern working style and arrangements”. “In the last 10 years, defence reforms have been prioritised, making our forces more capable and self-reliant,” he said. A major stake in defence procurements is now being given to the Indian defence industry, while 25% of the defence R&D has also been reserved for the private sector. “As a result of these efforts, India’s annual defence production has crossed the £12.5 bn mark,” the PM said.
