Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking on the occasion of the 25th Kargil Vijay Diwas at Drass in Ladakh, pointed out that the goal of the Agnipath scheme is to make the Army young, and to keep the army continuously fit for war.
The mention hinted at the deep connection between the fairly recently enacted Agnipath scheme, and the two-and-a-half decade old Kargil War.
In fact, it isn’t just a connection: The Agnipath scheme actually traces its roots to the aftermath of the Kargil War victory of 1999.
Here’s how:
The Kargil War was key in demonstrating the leadership qualities of the young officers. They led from the frontlines, and their casualties were disproportionate to the average ratios in terms of officers to jawans in normal infantry battles.
Following the war, the government formed the Kargil Review Committee (KRC). Its primary task was to make recommendations to prevent similar crises in the future.
Among the many suggestions, the pages of the report mentioned the need to lower the age profile of the Indian armed forces to make it a lean, mean fighting machine.
There had been conversation around this before as well. Notably, the Arun Singh Committee (1989) had also suggested focusing on bringing down the average age of Indian military personnel. However, following the war and the KRC report, the demand picked up swiftly.Agnipath scheme is also an example of the necessary reforms done by the Army. The Standing Committee on Defence (2006) and Shekatkar Committee (2017) made similar recommendations.
A source in the know told Firstpost that for a country like India, with two nuclear-armed states as adversaries, it is imperative to sustain a youthful military profile. “The world’s most advanced armies, such as those of the US and France, also maintain a majority of their active-duty personnel under the age of 30,” the source said.
They pointed out that the Agnipath scheme, which was established in response to the recommendations of various expert committees, represents a much-needed reform aimed at cultivating a younger profile in the Armed Forces.
The Agnipath scheme is designed to allow youth to serve in the armed forces for a period of 4 years. Its stipulations would enable a fresh lease of ‘josh and jazba’ to the forces, while bringing about a shift towards more technically savvy armed forces.
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Agnipath scheme traces its root to the Kargil War victory: Here’s the connection
