Army drops long-term tenure sparking anger among young Indians
Protesters attack railway stations and set trains on fire following the unveiling of the Agnipath programme to limit military tenure to four years rather than the typical 17. For the Modi government, this will allow defence modernisation. Reducing job prospects by one of India’s main public sector employers has put the spotlight on youth unemployment, which tops 20 per cent in Indian cities.
Milan (AsiaNews) – India has been shaken by violent protests for the past three days after the Modi government unveiled a plan to change the army’s hiring practices by reducing long-term tenure.
Protesters have attacked railway stations and set trains set on fire in several Indian states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. One person died and six were wounded in Secunderabad (Telangana).
On Tuesday, the government announced a new recruitment programme, called Agnipath in Hindi (Path of fire), radically reducing the tenure for successful candidates for the armed forced to four years for applicants aged 17 and half to 21, including six months of training. Previously, recruits typically served for up to 17 years for the lowest ranks.
At the end of the four-year period only a quarter of the new recruits would be retained. Those discharged would be given an opportunity to work in the public sector but without the right to a pension.
The name of the government’s ambitious plan refers to a famous Bollywood film about the story of a young man from a village who redeems himself and builds his future by fighting against a powerful local mafia boss.
The government plan was met with little support since an army job remains much coveted, especially after recruitment was suspended for two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With some 1.4 million members, India's army is one of the country's top employers. Until 2019, some 60,000 staff retired each year leaving vacancies to be filled. This year, the target is 46,000 new recruits under the new plan.
With the reform, the Modi government is aiming at cutting the army's expenditure on ballooning salaries and pensions.
Under it, new soldiers will get a monthly starting salary of 30,000 rupees (US$ 384), along with additional benefits, rising up to 40,000 rupees by the end of the four-year service.
The proposed reform has triggered anger among young people as well as proven very controversial for public opinion.
According to some critics, the new plan will put national security at risk at a time when its forces are deployed in the Himalayas against threats in Kashmir and Ladakh, territories where Indian sovereignty is disputed by Pakistan and China.
Supporters of the reform argue instead that by freeing up resources, the army will be rejuvenated and become more efficient, and more money can go for modernisation.
Notwithstanding the various arguments, the Agnipath programme is symptomatic of a broader debate over youth unemployment in India.
Last night the Modi government tried to run for cover by "exceptionally" raising the age limit for new recruits to 23, taking into account the fact that for two years recruitment was on hold.
Still, brewing discontent over reduced job prospects in India's public sector goes beyond the military.
Like in this week’s unrest, trains were attacked back in January in Bihar over recruitment exams for railway workers. At the time, more than 12.5 million applicants were vetted through an online exam for 35,000 positions.
Following the violence, the central government suspended the exams and launched an investigation.
All this suggest that the pandemic has had serious repercussions for India’s labour market. Job creation is sluggish. At 20 per cent, youth unemployment (15-29) in urban areas remains high, worse than it was in 2019.
Overall labour participation rate fell to 39.91 per cent in May, the worse in the past few years. To address the problem, the Modi government pledged to create one million new jobs in the public sector in the next year and a half.
But the first test – the Agnipath programme – appears to have sent a wrong signal, unleashing the wrath of young Indians.
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