Army shocked by the announcement of Agneepath scheme! General Naravane clear the details in the book

Former Army Chief General MM Naravane has made a big disclosure regarding the Agneepath scheme. He said the armed forces were shocked by the announcement of implementation of Agneepath scheme for short-term recruitment of soldiers, airmen and sailors. The Armed Forces argue that a large number of personnel should be retained in service after a tenure of four years and the firefighters should be given better salaries. In his upcoming memoir ‘Four Stars of Destiny’, Naravane has revealed that he had proposed the ‘Tour of Duty’ scheme to the Prime Minister in early 2020. Under this proposal, a limited number of soldiers can be nominated for a short period, similar to Short Service Commission for officers.

Plan different from General Naravane’s proposal

However, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) later came up with a different plan. He suggested that not only the entire recruitment in a year for the Army should be based on short-term service, but it should also include the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Navy. This was a surprise for the Army, even more so for the Navy and Air Force.

General Naravane said that his proposal was initially focused on the Army, so he was equally surprised to include the Air Force and Navy as well. Being associated with the three armies, the responsibility of taking the proposal forward fell on Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat. However, the Army still remained the dominant military service.

Many models of Agneepath Scheme were discussed

Various models of the plan were discussed, with the Army advocating retaining 75% of the troops and releasing 25%. However, when Agneepath was launched in June 2022 as a ‘transformative scheme’ to reduce the age profile of the armed forces, it was decided that out of the approximately 46,000 soldiers, airmen and sailors selected each year Only 25% will serve for an additional 15 years beyond the initial four years.

Only Rs 20,000 salary was fixed for fire fighters

General Naravane was the Chief of the Indian Army from December 31, 2019 to April 30, 2022. He also mentions in his book that the starting salary for those joining in the first year was initially set at Rs 20,000 per month. However, the Army strongly recommended the increase as they believed that it was not fair to compare the role of a soldier with that of a daily wage labourer. Based on his recommendations the salary was later increased to Rs 30,000 per month.

Know what Naravane said on not making CDS

Responding to a question on General Rawat not being appointed as CDS after his untimely death, General Naravane expressed his confidence in the decision-making process of the government. He said that when he was appointed as the Army Chief he never questioned the wisdom of the government and even now he has no reason to do so.