Anil Puri, Additional Secretary, Department of Military Affairs, said that the changes in the recently announced Agneepath plan were well planned and were not forced upon us due to the recent incidents of violence and arson. He said this in a tri-service press conference on Agneepath scheme on Sunday, June 19.
The Adjutant General of the Indian Army, Lieutenant General Bansi Ponnappa, Chief of the Indian Navy, Vice Admiral Dinesh Tripathi and Air Marshal Suraj Jha, Personnel-in-Charge of the Indian Air Force were also present at the press conference.
Adding to this, Ani Puri also said that the Agneepath scheme was planned in 1989 and the necessary steps to implement it also started around the same time.
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“We had to consider many aspects first and implement many other changes. The age factor had to be considered. The age of joining the armed forces had to be reduced earlier. The age of the commanding officers also had to be reduced,” said Anil Puri.
Mixture of young blood, seasoned mind
Talking about the reason for reducing the age of recruitment, Anil Puri said that the armed forces also need a combination of young energetic individuals and experienced people to guide them as well.
“By 2030, half of India’s population will be under the age of 25. We wanted to create a good mix of youth full of enthusiasm and energy along with experienced serving soldiers,” he said.
“Future wars will be based on technology. Drones will be used to destroy armored vehicles and tanks. We need technical youth who are adept at using such technology,” said Anil Puri.
The senior Defense Ministry official said that every youth in our country is adept at using a smartphone, adding that 70% of the recruitment will be from villages and rural areas.
The official also explained why the Agneepath scheme started with only 40,000 vacancies. “We wanted to start small and study how it turns out and what else is needed. In the next 4-5 years our intake will increase to 50,000-60,000. After that, it will increase to 1.25 lakh, said Anil Puri.