Agnipath will make armed forces younger; retired agniveers will provide skilled manpower to society: Central government to Delhi High Court

The Centre government has told the Delhi High Court that its Agnipath scheme for recruitment into Army, Air Force and Navy will make the forces young and recruits who exit after their tenure will prove to be a nationalist, disciplined and skilled manpower to the society..The government submitted on affidavit that the recruitment in armed forces constitutes an essential sovereign function and its decision to conduct these recruitment through the new 'Agnipath Scheme' is a policy decision taken for national security reasons..There has been a sea change in the technology and skills employed in the modern warfare and that with new military technologies emerging at a rapid pace, the time-tested conventional formations of the armed forces were losing their edge, the affidavit stated.This made structural changes in overall organisation of the armed forces a matter of necessity, the Centre argued. .The government's reply came in response to a batch of petitions before the High Court challenging the constitutional validity of the Agnipath scheme and recruitment into the armed forces as a whole.These petitions will be heard by a division bench of the Delhi High Court tomorrow (Wednesday). .The Agnipath scheme proposes to induct youth into the Army for four years, after which, out of the selected candidates, only 25 percent will be continued in the Indian Army while the rest will have to exit. The introduction of the scheme had prompted widespread protests across the country, some of which turned violent. It had also led to a slew of petitions being filed in various courts. The Supreme Court had in July transferred the petitions listed before itself as well as various High Courts across the country to the Delhi High Court..In its affidavit, Centre said that an analysis of the existing structure of the below 'officer' rank divisions in Indian Armed Forces shows that average age of a personnel was 32 years while globally it is only around 26 years and the forces’ retention policy – under which a jawan, sailor or airman serves between 15 to 20 years – is the main reason for it.The process to alter 'intake & retention' policy in the three forces has been going on for a long time that even the Kargil Review Committee headed by K Subramanyam had recommended having a young and fit Armed Forces, it was further submitted..The response further said that the training and discipline inculcated to an 'agniveer' during his service period with the armed forces will not only infuse vigour into the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force but would make them professional, technologically adept and ready for any employment opportunity in the future after they exit the armed forces.The government also countered the argument that the scheme will lead to militarisation of society, stating that Agniveers will act as a bridge between the Armed Forces and the society in the future. .[Agnipath Scheme] Delhi High Court seeks consolidated reply from Central government; refuses stay