A retired havildar notes that the number of youth enrolling in his training center has dropped. Many point to the lack of job security and reputation of Agniveeran Sippy.
Havildar Karmajit Singh, who retired from the army, returned to his native village Bullokhari in Punjab’s Bathinda district in 2019. Then, he decided to train the youth of his village to join the armed forces.
With the help of Gram Panchayat, equipment and training materials were started to be provided to retired Havildars.
In the last four years, Karamjit Singh has successfully trained 100 youths from 11 villages. Many of them are selected to join the army and police.
However, he noted that there has been a decline in the number of people preparing for the army recruitment drive since the introduction of the Agnipath scheme.
The Agnipath project was launched in June 2022. Recruits veterans — 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 may voluntarily apply to join the continuing services, subject to eligibility and organizational requirements.
“Before the Agnibad program was launched, around 100 to 150 youths from villages near the army recruitment drive were receiving training.
Currently, the number of people interested in army recruitment has reduced to 50. Earlier, youths from middle class families were also interested in army recruitment.
Now, most come from poor economic backgrounds,” he said. Ravinder Singh, who initially wanted to join the army and was trained, said it would be safer to use that time for own business or security work. Now the question has arisen whether it is necessary to spend four years in the army.
Due to this, he abandoned his plan to join the army. “Army jobs are a struggle with competitive exams but offer job security to youngsters with good physical health and stamina.
However, with the launch of Agnipath, this job security has been affected,” he said.
However, it’s not just job security, Agniveera says, that diminishes the reputation of someone who is solid.
Prabjot Singh, 21, son of a tailor from Rama village near the refinery, who trained under Karamjit Singh, said, “Like our coach Karamjit Singh, you get respect when an army man returns to the village after retirement.
He gave 16 years of service. He is a consummate soldier. But I don’t know if someone returning after four years would have the same respect.
Because he will also fight against the term of dismissal from the army. Also, Karamjit Singh said, Agnipat may have had an impact on the army’s interest in Punjab more than in other states.
“Our youth can either go abroad or get other equally paid job opportunities in the private sector or start their own small businesses.
However, it may not be possible for other states that the youth will turn to the army regardless of whether the Agnibad scheme is in place.
Gurvinder Singh of Rajoke village in Tarn Taran district, which shares a border with Pakistan, said:
“I was very excited about Army recruitment. I had cleared the written test and the medical test.
Only the pending physical fitness test was never conducted and later, Agnipath was started.
How can a person who dreams of a regular job in the army go for Agnipath? It shattered all my imaginations about joining the army,” he said.
Gurvinder is now looking for opportunities to go abroad. “After the war, the number of young people who want to join the army has reduced drastically. Earlier, we had 50 to 60 activists in a batch that we prepared for upcoming rallies.
After the fire, the number of aspirants in a batch has come down to 25 to 30,” said Paramjit Singh, an instructor at the government-run pre-recruitment Sainic Vocational Training Centers (SVTC) in the border district of Gurdaspur. Such centers have been opened in all districts.
In April, the Congress announced its manifesto ‘Niya Bhatra’ in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, saying it would scrap Agnipat and resume normal recruitment of the armed forces to reach full sanctioned strength.
But the Congress has failed to reach out to the youth by promising to cancel the Agnibad scheme. Speaking to many activists who were unaware of the Congress announcement on the scheme,
“I don’t know if any party has promised to eliminate Agniveeran. I think politicians are not interested in such issues. They don’t care about youth issues,” said Gurnam Singh from Amritsar.
Gurdaspur Congress Lok Sabha candidate Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa also agreed to this.
Continuing, he said, “Army jobs are held in high esteem even among economically stable families in our border region. It was one of the main industries. But now after Agniveeran the number is decreasing. It doesn’t work now.
It’s an opportunity to get some experience in the military, make some quick cash, and then rejoin the rat race on the open market with the slight advantage of experience in the military.
Already, we have no job opportunities in the border area. Now, an entire industry is gone for the new generation.
But, in reality, our promise of Agnipath has not become a talking point in Punjab.
The seventh and final phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be held on June 1 for all 13 constituencies in Punjab.
