According to Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari, the Agnipath scheme complements the Indian Air Force’s long-term vision to be a ‘lean and lethal’ force with the best manpower and will not in any way reduce its operational capability. There have been nearly 7,50,000 applications for about 3,000 positions in the IAF under the newly stated scheme Agnipath
During the four-year engagement period, 13 teams will be responsible for enrolment, employment, assessment, and training of recruits, according to Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari. As a result of implementing the reform, any savings in pensions and other expenditures will only be an incidental result, he said.
The scheme complements the IAF’s long-term vision of being a ‘lean and lethal force’ with the best human resource. strongly believe that the men and women behind the machine make all the difference when it matters,” the Chief of Air Staff added.
Agnipath, a new recruitment scheme for all defence forces was announced on June 14. It is designed to recruit young people between the ages of 17-and-a-half and 21 for only four years, with a provision to keep 25% of them for a further 15 years. The age limit for 2022 has been raised to 23.
As the new scheme does not guarantee a job to 75 per cent of recruits, several parts of India witnessed violent protests last month against it following its announcement.
“With evolving technology, the basic requirements from an air warrior have also seen a qualitative shift. We feel that the youth of today brings along a different and much-required set of skills as well as adeptness with technology,” Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari told PTI during an interview.
In the future, the IAF will be an effective force due to the synergy between organisational requirements and youth aspirations, he said.
“With a restructured training pattern that is contemporary, technology-based and tailor-made for our operational commitments, we envisage the implementation to be seamless,” he said.
The IAF chief noted that the need for transformation in the human resources in the services had been widely deliberated and steps have been taken to address the recommendations of the Kargil Review Committee gradually.
“This human resources transformation caters to the requirements of the impact of changing technology, the complexity of machines, automation and optimisation of resources including manpower of the IAF,” he said.
Further, he claimed the IAF has already received an overwhelming response for the “Agnipath” initiative, which he described as a huge “human resources reform” for the armed services.
“The process of selection is in progress. We have formulated 13 teams for seamless enrolment, training, role, employment, assessment and training of Agniveers within the four-year engagement period,” he said.
“The HR transformation in no way reduces the operational capability that we possess. This would provide the armed forces with the advantage of attracting talent and engaging with the youth who are keen to serve the nation,” the IAF chief said.
He claimed that Agniveers’ “objective judgement” will give the IAF access to the top personnel. Long-term, this plan will be advantageous to the person, the military, and society at large.
“This scheme shall provide a balance to our forces by blending youth with experience and enable IAF to meet all its national security mandates,” he added.
“Our experience in modular training and ‘just-in-time’ training concepts have given us insightful knowledge to achieve the necessary skills for our air warriors,” he said.
Also read; Agnipath To Prepare Specially Trained Youth: Air Marshal Vikram Singh
