Agnipath tempers enthusiasm for Army job among Punjab youth, Congress’s promise to abolish scheme fails to reach masses

However, he has noted a fall in the number of people interested in preparing for the Army recruitment rally after the introduction of the Agnipath scheme. Rolled out in June 2022, the Agnipath scheme recruits Agniveers — soldiers, airmen, and sailors — into the armed forces for four years. At the end of the four-year tenure, up to 25 per cent of them can apply voluntarily to join the services regularly, subject to merit and organisational requirements.

“There used to be around 100 to 150 young people from nearby villages receiving training for the Army recruitment rally before the Agnipath scheme was launched. Now, the number of individuals interested in Army recruitment has dropped to 50. Previously, young people from middle-class families were also interested in Army recruitment. Now, most of the candidates come from poor economic backgrounds,” he said.

According to Ravinder Singh, who had initially desired to join the Army and underwent training, there is now a question of whether spending four years in the Army is necessary if one could use that time to establish one’s own business or work in security. As a result, he has abandoned his plans to join the Army.

“Army jobs offer job security to young individuals who may struggle with competitive exams but possess good physical health and stamina. However, with the launch of Agnipath, this job security has been impacted,” he said.

However, it is not only job security that has troubled the youth but also the presumed lack of reputation for an Agniveer solider.

Getting trained under Karamjit Singh, Prabhjot Singh, 21, son of a tailor from Rama village near the refinery, said, “You earn respect when a soldier comes back to the village after retirement, just like our coach Karamjit Singh. He gave 16 years to the service. He is a complete soldier. But I am not sure if there will be the same respect for someone who will return after four years. Because he will also fight the tag that the Army dropped him.”

Karamjit Singh said Agnipath may have had a relatively more impact on aspiring soldiers in Punjab than in other states. “Our youth can afford to go abroad or have opportunities for other equally-paying jobs in the private sector or start their own small business. However, It may not be true for other states where youth will turn up to the Army regardless of whether the Agnipath scheme is there.”

“I was really excited about the Army recruitment. I had cleared the written exam and medical test. Only the pending physical was never conducted, and later, Agnipath was launched. How can someone who dreamed of a regular job in the Army go for Agnipath? It shattered all my imagination about joining the Army,” said Gurwinder Singh from the Tarn Taran district’s Rajoke village, which shares a border with Pakistan. Gurwinder is now searching for opportunities to go abroad.

“There is an impact on the number of youngsters wanting to join the Army after Agnipath. Earlier, we used to have 50 to 60 aspirants in a batch that we prepared for upcoming rallies. After Agnipath, the number of aspirants in a batch has dropped to 25 to 30,” said Paramjit Singh, an instructor at government-run pre-recruitment Sainik Vocational Training Centres (SVTC) in the border district of Gurdaspur. Such centres are opened across all districts.

Congress promise to abolish Agnipath

In April, the Congress, while releasing its party manifesto, ‘Nyay Patra,’ the Lok Sabha elections 2024, said it would abolish Agnipath and direct the armed forces to resume normal recruitment to achieve full sanctioned strength.

The Congress has, however, failed to reach the young population with its promise to abolish the Agnipath scheme. The Indian Express talked to several aspirants who were unaware of Congress’s announcement on the scheme. “I am not aware if any party has promised to abolish Agniveer. I don’t think politicians are interested in such issues. They are busy with switching parties and mudslinging. They don’t care about the problems of youth,” said Gurnam Singh from Amritsar.

Gurdaspur Congress Lok Sabha candidate Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa admitted the same. Talking to The Indian Express, he said, “Army jobs were seen in high esteem even among economically stable families in our border belt. It was one of the main professions. But now the numbers have been dropping after Agniveer. It is no longer a job now. It is just an opportunity to get some experience in the Army, some quick bucks, and then again join the rat race in the open market with little advantage of experience in the Army. Already, we lack employment opportunities on the border belt. Now, a whole profession is gone for the new generation. But, indeed, our promise on Agnipath has not become the talk of the town in Punjab.”

All the 13 seats in Punjab will go to poll in the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 on June 1.