Agnipath: Indian Army aims to reduce strength to under 11 lakh in a decade

India Today has learnt that the Indian Army is aiming to reduce the strength of its forces to under 11 lakh in a decade by implementing the Agnipath scheme.

One of the biggest reforms in the Indian military envisaged to achieve a lean and mean force, the Agnipath recruitment scheme, has become a law-and-order issue, triggering civil unrest across the country.

The Narendra Modi government has been trying to douse the fire, with first the military brass, followed by the National Security Advisor, having made appearances on national television in what looks like a desperate attempt at firefighting.

Videos and pictures of those who claim to have been defence aspirants destroying public property and indulging in arson and rioting have come as a rude shock to the Centre.

Meanwhile, the government has been in damage control mode with widespread violence as protesting youth have been part of riotous mobs in several parts of the country.

While Agnipath has been hailed as a step in the right direction, there is no official word on the real intent, which is to cut down on pensions and salaries from the defence budget to give the much-needed impetus to capital procurement for the defence forces.

India Today has learnt that the long-term plan is to cut down the army’s strength to under 11 lakh from the current 13 lakh plus.

"This will be done in a phased manner over the next decade. It is felt if the army has to move towards being a modern force driven by technology, it cannot be manpower intensive," said a senior government official.