The Agnipath
soldier recruitment scheme has triggered a wave of protests across the country.
Aspirants to the Indian Armed Forces are concerned what will happen to Agnipath
appointees – ‘Agniveers’ – after they complete their four-year tour of duty. In
a bid to assuage concerns, the Indian government has decided to reserve 10%
seats in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) for Agniveer appointees.

However, there are
concerns on how this quota will be structured. This is because there is already
a 10% reservation for ex-servicemen in CAPF. There is confusion on whether an
additional 10% will be reserved for ‘Agniveer’ appointees or will they be
included in the system as ex-servicemen.

Also Read | Agnipath myth vs fact: Government explains scheme amidst uproar

“It is not clear
as to whether these ‘Agniveers’ would be employed under the ex-servicemen category
rule or some other rule,” a senior officer told NDTV. Another concern is that
recruits from Agnipath to CAPF will require to undergo training once again
because the mandate of duty in both jobs are significantly different.

The ‘Agniveers’
will be trained but the requirement of CAPFs are different, said another official
of a paramilitary force to NDTV.

Also Read | Explained: Why is Agnipath soldier recruitment scheme so controversial

The CAPF includes
five paramilitary services: Indo-Tibetan Border Force (ITBP), Border Security
Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Shastra Seema Bal (SSB) and
Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

Duties of these
paramilitary services include patrolling borders, tracking smuggling operations,
managing law and order during protests and polls, security of VVIPs, frisking
passengers in airports and metro stations etc. These are not duties performed
by the Indian military forces.

Also Read | Sons and soldiers: Why is farmer leader Rakesh Tikait enraged over Agnipath

The Agnipath
recruitment scheme provisions for youngsters between ages 17.5 to 21 to be hired
into the Indian Armed Forces for a period for four years. During these four
years, appointees will be trained and will receive salaries between Rs 30,000
and Rs 40,000.

Upon completing
their tour of duty, 75% of ‘Agniveer’ recruits will be relieved with lumpsum
pay of around Rs 11.5 lakh. They will, however, not be entitled to receive
pension or medical benefits. The remaining 25% will go on to serve regular
15-year terms.

While there is
confusion about the suitability of those trained in the armed forces in the
CAPF, India’s paramilitary forces have a host of vacancies. There are said to
be over 73,000 vacant posts in the paramilitary services and Assam Rifles
combined. Moreover, there are 18,124 posts vacant in police forces in Indian
territories, according to Union government data.

The inclusion of ‘Agniveers’
in paramilitary forces will also help bring down the average age of CAPF. The
current average age in the paramilitary forces is between 28 years and 35
years.