Around 75 per cent of the first batch of Agniveers will exit the Indian Armed Forces by the end of this year, the Centre has recently informed the Rajya Sabha. In numbers, it would be 34,500 — over 1,000 of them are from Punjab. And with the re-employment schemes announced by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on May 12 still on paper, their uncertain future is providing rich grounds for politics ahead of next year’s assembly election.
Earlier this year, the Indian Army had appealed to Punjab’s youth to join the Sikh Regiment, after which some districts reported improvement. Contrasting it with the glorious history of the Sikh Regiment, he said the situation is such that they cannot find recruits today. But this is yet to be implemented and it has given ammunition to the opposition parties, which plan to corner the ruling AAP. Opposition parties in Punjab, particularly Congress, have been raising the issue of the shortened army service period for some time. Army veteran and former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh also termed the recruitment scheme as being against the traditional bonding with the Indian Army. He urged the Central government to review the policy, saying a short-term tenure will disrupt the regimental cohesion vital for the armed forces. Army veterans say a clear, time-bound re-employment policy for returning Agniveers is essential. Meaningful posts should be reserved in police, forest, fire services, and Home Guards. They should also be given skill certification and entrepreneurship support.
The draft reservation and rehabilitation policy for Agniveers involve reservation of 10 per cent of police constable posts and 20 per cent of office guard posts for them. Run by the Punjab government, army recruitment from Punjab has declined by 60 to 70 per cent, according to the Centre for Training and Development of Punjab Youth (C-PYTE).
His government, he said, will not let the Sikh Regiment’s legacy perish. “We must save it,” Bhagwant Mann said.
