Has Prime Minister Narendra Modi distanced his NDA government from the issue of pension raked by critics of the Agnipath scheme?
While addressing the armed forces on the occasion of the 25th Kargil Vijay Diwas in Dras, Ladakh, Modi discussed the Centre's radical scheme to recruit soldiers on four-year contracts that was announced in June 2022.
Even as Modi reiterated that the scheme was intended to make the nation's defence "younger", he made a strange remark about the pension benefits of 'Agniveers' who would enrol under the scheme.
"Some people are spreading rumours that the government introduced this scheme to deny pension," Modi said, "Tell me, do we have to pay pension to those who enrol during the Modi government's tenure? The need to pay them pensions will arise in 30 years. By then Modi would be 105 years. Should Modi take the blame now for the Agniveers who will turn pensioners in 30 years?"
Among various issues related to the scheme highlighted by veterans and opposition parties, pension is a pertinent issue. As per the scheme, there is a provision to retain 25 per cent of the fresh recruitments into regular service while the others would be released with a severance package.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had said in March that the Centre was 'open for change'. However, even if the Centre increases the retention to 50 per cent as demanded by an internal survey of the Army, it is understood that the short period served as Agniveers would not be considered for tabulating pension and other financial benefits.