The official website of the Indian Army writes that approx 60,000 personnel retire each year, however, only a small percentage transit to a viable second career befitting their several years of service and experience. This smaĺĺ percentage is estimated to be just 10%. The balance 54,000 keep hunting for jobs year after year.
Presently, India’s joblessness is around 8% among the approx 40% population in the age group of 18 – 40. That ïs a massive 55 crores. No one, but no one is able to provide jobs for them.
In the 4 yrs that it will take to throw the first lot of 30,000 अग्निवीरs, spewing अग्नी on the streets already overcrowded with the 55 crores plus 2.2 Ls veterans scavenging for jobs.
In 10 yrs, (The timeline given by the VCOS for 50% transformation of a professional Army into an Army of Agniveers), 2026 onwards, there will be 81,000 added to that kitty annually; that is a total of approx 5 Ls.
All sorts of Govt agencies, from Central to BJP ruled states, have been harnessed to extoll the personal gains of being Agniveers.Some say that the cash cow at the end of 4 yrs will be 20 Lakhs, some others put it at half that sum.
Peculiarly, even though the VCOS has said that the Agniveers will be the only inducties in the Army, a DGP of a BJP ruled state has over ruled him in a televised statement by claiming that regular recruitment in the Army will continue.
In the absence of a notification, the absolutely uncoordinated oral statements have further stoked the अग्नी on the streets.
The present strength of the Indian Army is 12 L+. In the absence of regular recruitment, with an annual retirement rate of 60,000, in the next 10 yrs this strength of the best professional Army of the World will have come down to half its present strength. Add to that 60,000 of under trainee, high on name but low on substance, Agniveers to make a total of 6.6 Ls.
All problems solved with the achievement of the present fascist BJP Govt’s triple aims …
> convert the professional Army, each member of which takes a solemn oath to defend the Constitution of India, (Not the constitution of the RSS), with his life, if necessary, with a rag tag Bhagwa Army, which will swear allegiance to the RSS; in the meantime, the Bhagwa Agniveers would have completely polluted the secular ethos of the Army;
> maintain a heavily armed CPF to control the rag-tag Army, if ever the occasion arose;
> The Military budget will be curtailed drastically to reduce the pressure on the wayward financial management by the clueless fascist BJP Govt.
By 2037, the Indian Army will be a completely Bhagwa Army. The RSS and its BJP will contrive to be in power till then, by fair means or foul. In the last 8 yrs we have seen enough demonstration of that.
Samuel Dhar is an Army Engineer officer, who took premature retirement 28 years ago to practise as an engineering consultant, specialising in use of polymers in constructions. He has authored scores of Articles and book on philosophy, theology and Nationalism.
