Outgoing Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi described the Agneepath scheme as a major reform. He said that if the need arises in future, increasing the 25% retention limit of Agniveers can be considered, especially in technical fields.
Signs of change in Agneepath scheme
Outgoing Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi has described the Agneepath scheme as a major human resource reform aimed at creating a younger, fitter, more energetic and future-ready force. He said that if future assessments indicate that greater retention of fire fighters could help the defense forces, appropriate modifications to the plan could be considered.
Under the Agneepath Recruitment Scheme, the Indian Army recruits soldiers for four years, after which 25 per cent of them are retained in the service, while the remaining 75 per cent are released to do other jobs. Many posts have been reserved for Agniveer in state and central police forces.
Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi told ANI, “Any decision regarding the provisions of the scheme should be guided by operational requirements and field experience rather than pre-determined numbers. If future assessments indicate that higher retention would be beneficial to the defense forces, especially in specialized or technology-intensive areas, then appropriate reforms can always be considered.”
Noting that Agniveer is helping in the positive transformation of the force, General Dwivedi said, “The nature of warfare is changing rapidly and today’s soldier must be physically strong, mentally agile and technically adept. Drones, surveillance systems, communication networks, electronic warfare and AI-enabled battlefield equipment are becoming increasingly important, and young soldiers are quick adopters of such technologies.”
He said it is important to recognize that the scheme is still developing as the first batch has not yet completed its full service cycle and therefore any final assessment would be premature. “We are constantly analyzing training results, unit integration, operational performance and feedback from commanders across the Army,” he said.
Told ‘Operation Vermillion’ as the biggest achievement of his tenure.
On the main achievements during his two-year tenure as Army Chief, General Dwivedi said the most prominent would be ‘Operation Sindoor’ as it validated the Indian Army’s joint, integrated and future-ready war fighting capability.
He said, “This was not the success of any one individual; rather, it reflected the collective strength of India’s national security architecture. Many of the transformative initiatives that we had pioneered over the last few years; technology absorption, jointness, self-reliance, secure communications, multi-domain operations and precise engagement were demonstrated in practice during the operation.”
General Dwivedi said ‘Operation Sindoor’ confirmed that India has both the capability and resolve to respond decisively to terrorism at its source, while maintaining strategic restraint and a clear moral compass. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)