Skip to main content

Previous govts' 'neo-liberal' initiative result: Agnipath contractual-soldier scheme

By Prem Singh* 

The Agnipath recruitment scheme is a contractual-soldier scheme. That is, a youth of 17 to 21 years of age will be recruited in the three armies on a contract for four years term. They will not be entitled to the facilities and social security available to the regular soldiers till now.
The concessions being talked about after massive, and widespread violent protests against the scheme are the government's after-thought. How long this after-thought will last cannot be said.
The country has had a long experience in the last 20-25 years of what kind of contractual appointments are being made. Meanwhile, governments of all parties have remained in power. So, there is no need to go into that political detail. The need is to see that when people are working on contractual basis in every field, including education, health and sanitation, the turn of the army was simply bound to come one day.
The opposition to the Agnipath recruitment scheme by the aspirants is understandable. But what is the basis of opposition from opposition leaders, intellectuals and civil society activists? Contracting in appointments is a direct product of neo-liberal reforms and can be found everywhere.
Two days ago, a journalist friend entrusted me with the task of writing an article on contract-teaching. I sent the article to him the very next day, mentioning the prevalence of contract-teaching from the primary schools to the colleges all over the country. Having been associated with the education field I did not face any difficulty in preparing the article. All the details are, in any case, available to all public.
Have these very people, opposed to contract recruitment in the armies now, ever been opposed to neo-liberal reforms? If so, how did contractual appointments replace permanent appointments on such a large scale across the country in all the departments?
If it is to be assumed that they had no apprehension that the matter would reach the contractual appointments in the armed forces, would they now fully oppose this anti-constitutional practice? That is, will the neo-liberal or corporate capitalist government policies continuing in the name of reforms, be opposed by them?
If they do not stop this neo-imperialist onslaught that has been going on in the country for the last three decades, then the army cannot be saved from its shackles. If they don't take a position on this, then on what basis are they advising the youth who are agitating against the scheme to beware of 'fake nationalists'?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his patriarchal organization and his 'navratnas' have strange ideas about the army, like -- merchants face more danger than soldiers, the RSS army will reach the front against the enemy before India's army and achieve victory, to thwart enemy ambushes bunkers should be covered with cow dung, soldiers should regularly recite Gita-Ramayana to maintain valor instead of training and practice, to give a befitting reply to the enemy one should have a chest of so many inches, to avenge so many heads one should bring so many heads of enemy, India has become great and superpower in the reign of RSS/BJP, now no one can stop it from realizing the dream of 'Akhand Bharat'... so on and so forth!
It would be a futile exercise to expect any serious discourse or initiative about army, valour and war from such perspective.
But what about the senior most officers in the army? It is right that in a democracy, the army works under the civilian government. It is the pride of the army in upholding this constitutional obligation. However, on important and delicate issues that appear from time to time before the society at least retired military officers should direct the nation in their discretion.
The government has put forward senior army officers to lobby for the Agnipath recruitment scheme. There is certainly an emotional weight to this strategy. The chiefs of the three armies have announced the quick-start of the Agnipath recruitment scheme despite all the opposition. It has also been made clear that the youth involved in violent activities during the protests against the scheme will not be given an opportunity to become Agniveers.
Describing it as a well-thought-out scheme prepared by the military officers after due deliberations, they have argued for the inclusion of youthful enthusiasm in the army. It would have been better if this well thought out scheme had been placed in the public domain at least for a little time. Then, there might not have been a case of large scale violent resistance to the scheme.
The varied interpretations and assurances coming forth through various official-non-official channels regarding the scheme should have been made public before its launch. It seems that even the 'well thought out scheme' propagation is an after-thought on the part of its mentors.
Here the question may arise that if youthful enthusiasm in the armies is so important that it requires new blood after every four years, as the three army chiefs and some other senior army officers are saying, then this enthusiasm should also be inculcated in the bureaucracy of the army as well.
The senior officers of the armies have achieved everything as far as name, fame, facilities and comforts are concerned. They should take leave now and let the new officers take their place.
The new officers must have acquired the training and skills of highest degree under their capable command to handle every necessary responsibility. Otherwise also, certain important posts would be waiting for senior military officers after retirement. Corporate houses can also be a good place for them in corporate India!
Doing justice to the military officers, it can be assumed that by insisting on this scheme, they are simply not following the orders of the elected government, they too have their own support for the scheme.
The way the political and intellectual leadership of the country is supportive of neo-liberalism, it is natural to have an impact on the military leadership as well. Just as civil officers, who have gained their power and position under the old system of recruitment, might not see the pain of young and middle-aged people engaged in contractual jobs, military officers may also feel that even the military task can be done without permanent recruitments (and facilities associated with them).
Tre-services Lt Gen Anil Puri, who is the additional secretary in the Department of Military Affairs, has solemnly stated that they have spoken to the Adanis, Ambanis and other corporate houses that they will employ Agniveers. A BJP leader has stated that they will be engaged in BJP offices as guards. That is, the young blood of the country is such a cheap thing, that anyone can use it for any assignment, and throw it away after a certain time.
I do not know what to say to the youth agitating against the Agnipath recruitment scheme. I feel that the people of my present and earlier generations are their culprits. All that can be said is that their movement could be right, violence is not.
Many youth activists have referred to the farmers' movement. I feel that their position is not such that they can create another long movement in present circumstances. They have to understand that the neo-liberals harvested away even the crops of the peasant movement. The activists against whom cases were filed during the farmers movement have not been taken back yet.
I would say to the young recruitment hopefuls to remember that they are young but not naive. The government has set up the army before them, which mandates that every aspirant must give in writing that they did not engage in violent resistance to the scheme. Cases have been registered against many of them.
Those who refer to them as 'our children' as well as those who oppose the Agnipath scheme and are claiming to support them, do not seem to be their future companions. The future and their careers are a subject about which they themselves have to contemplate and worry .
---
*Associated with socialist movement, former teacher of Delhi University and fellow of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla

Comments

TRENDING

Wave of disappearances sparks human rights fears for activists in Delhi

By Harsh Thakor*  A philosophy student from Zakir Hussain College, Delhi University, and an activist associated with Nazariya magazine, Rudra, has been reported missing since the morning of July 19, 2025. This disappearance adds to a growing concern among human rights advocates regarding the escalating number of detentions and disappearances of activists in Delhi.

Aggressive mining operations: With 70% of Maharashtra’s forest cover, Gadchiroli is on brink of environmental collapse

By  Raj Kumar Sinha*  A looming ecological and social disaster is unfolding in the forests of Gadchiroli, Maharashtra. Over 1.23 lakh trees are set to be felled for mining activities—an alarming development that has sparked widespread protests from Adivasi communities and civil society organizations. They are urging the state and central governments to immediately halt all mining-related approvals and operations in the region. They are also calling for a complete review of all clearances, including Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and Detailed Project Reports (DPR), based on holistic ecological, hydrological, and social assessments. These groups demand that forest corridors and tiger habitats be recognized as protected areas, and that the laws under the Forest Rights Act (2006) and PESA Act (1996) be strictly enforced. Most crucially, they insist that decisions made by tribal gram sabhas be respected through transparent public hearings.

‘Act of war on agriculture’: Aruna Rodrigues slams GM crop expansion and regulatory apathy

By Rosamma Thomas*  Expressing appreciation to the Union Agriculture Minister for inviting suggestions from farmers and concerned citizens on the sharp decline in cotton crop productivity, Aruna Rodrigues—lead petitioner in the Supreme Court case ongoing since 2005 that seeks a moratorium on genetically modified (GM) crops—wrote to Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on July 14, 2025, stating that conflicts of interest have infiltrated India’s regulatory system like a spreading cancer, including within the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR).

Overriding India's constitutional sovereignty? Citizens urge PM to reject WHO IHR amendments

By A Representative   A group of concerned Indian citizens, including medical professionals and activists, has sent an urgent appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to reject proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) before the ratification deadline of July 19, 2025. 

Farmer 'stripped, assaulted' by BSF jawan in West Bengal border village: Rights group urges NHRC to act

By A Representative  A disturbing incident of alleged custodial torture and public humiliation has been brought to the attention of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) by a leading human rights group, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), involving a Muslim farmer in a border village of West Bengal. In a formal complaint, Kirity Roy, Secretary of MASUM and National Convenor of the Programme Against Custodial Torture & Impunity (PACTI), has urged the NHRC to take urgent action following an incident that occurred on the morning of June 12, 2025, in Hakimpur village near the India–Bangladesh border under Swarupnagar police station, North 24 Parganas district. According to the complaint, 38-year-old Jahar Ali Gazi, a resident of Hakimpur Uttar Para, was on his way to his field in Kadamtala Math around 7:30 am when he was stopped by an on-duty Border Security Force (BSF) jawan near the 7 No. Outpost of Hakimpur Border Outpost (143 Battalion). The location...

India’s zero-emission, eco-friendly energy strategies have a long way to go, despite impressive progress

By N.S. Venkataraman*   The recent report released by OPEC’s World Oil Outlook 2025 has predicted that by the year 2050, crude oil would replace coal as India’s key energy source. Clearly, OPEC expects that India’s dependence on fossil fuels for energy will continue to remain high in one form or another.

The Empire strikes inward: Britain’s colonial legacy now targets its own citizens

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak   British colonialism may belong to the past, but the colonial mindset of the ruling elite in Britain persists. Today, these elites are applying colonial values and repressive political tactics not abroad, but to their own people. 'Home' is now where British colonialism is taking root—threatening civil liberties and undermining liberal democracy. The criminalisation of dissent has become a shared political practice across the Conservative and Labour leadership.

Ecological alarm over pumped storage projects in Western Ghats: Policy analyst writes to PM

By A Representative   In a detailed letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, energy and climate policy analyst Shankar Sharma has raised grave concerns over the escalating approval and construction of Pumped Storage Projects (PSPs) across India’s ecologically fragile river valleys. He has warned that these projects, if pursued unchecked, could result in irreparable damage to the country’s riverine ecology, biodiversity hotspots, and forest wealth—particularly in the Western Ghats.

Gurdial Singh Paharpuri: A lifetime of revolutionary contribution and unfulfilled aspirations

By Harsh Thakor*  Gurdial Singh Paharpuri, a Central Committee member of the Communist Party Re-Organisation Centre of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPRCI(ML)), passed away on July 2, marking a significant loss for the Indian Communist Revolutionary movement. For six decades, Singh championed the cause of revolution, leaving an enduring impact through his lifelong dedication to the global proletarian movement. His contributions are considered foundational, laying groundwork for future advancements in revolutionary thought. He is recognized as a key figure among Indian Communist revolutionary leaders who shaped the mass line, and his example is seen as a model for revolutionary communists to follow.