New Delhi: Although it picked up steam only in the last two years, the radically different 'Agnipath' recruitment scheme for inducting non-officer ranks into the Army, Navy and the Air Force did not come all of a sudden by any means. While the first idea to overhaul the Indian military recruitment policy germinated in the aftermath of the Kargil War in 1999, it found expression in many committees and commissions over the years, including the Kargil Committee, Arun Singh Committee and the Shekatkar Committee.
When it was announced by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on June 14 with the three Service Chiefs in attendance, it had been deliberated and discussed intensely for more than two years, totalling 254 meetings that took 750 hours. The most number of meetings took place in the three services where 150 meetings took about 500 hours. It was followed by the Defence Ministry where 60 meetings were convened that consumed 150 hours while in the ‘whole of government’, 44 meetings were held over 100 hours.
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During the meetings, a major thrust was on studying the military recruitment models followed by the US, China, Russia, the UK, France and Israel. While the details of the training modules are still a work in progress, the about 50,000 ‘Agniveers’ proposed to be recruited in the first year of the ‘Agnipath’ scheme will have to undergo a much shorter training stint than those recruited under the earlier process.
A source in the military establishment told ETV Bharat, “While the training details of the specialised forces are kept a secret, the exact and finer details of the training modules are still being worked upon.” A soldier in the Indian Army was earlier trained for nine months before being inducted into the force. An ‘Agniveer’ will be trained for only six months.
In the Navy, a sailor was trained for 22 weeks, which will be cut down to 18 weeks now. These 22 weeks are the ab-initio training, before being attached with ships for two weeks. “Just after entry and the basic training the professional trade training takes place, which varies based on the particular trade. There will be no change in the duration of this specialised training,” said a Navy source.
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An IAF source said, “In the IAF, the earlier training stint varied from six months to one year depending on the particular trade of the airman like whether it is a technical or a non-technical trade. But, many of these training modules remain secret, for instance, the training module of a fighter pilot is classified.” But, the quality of the training to be imparted will be more rich, varied and tech-savvy keeping in mind the modernisation and tech-savvy plan of the three services of the Indian Armed Forces.
As Indian Navy Vice-Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi said on Tuesday, “Quality of training will be improved to make up for compressed timelines of training.” “We are thinking of giving tablets and e-Readers so that they (sailors) can read when they have time and don’t have to be in classes also”, the Vice-Admiral added, saying that the latest methodology will be used, including the use of simulators.
