Indian military recruitment reform is controversial

On June 14, the Indian government announced the latest recruitment policy called the "Fire Road". According to this latest policy, the Indian army no longer recruits professional soldiers who have been in service for more than 10 years, but instead recruit soldiers with a contract period of 4 years through the plan. These soldiers are called "Agniveers" and no longer enjoy the original pension, health, education and other benefits. After the 4 -year service period expires, only 25%of the best performance can stay in the army for 15 years. The remaining 75%will leave the army after receiving a one -time subsidy of about 10,000 yuan. The new recruitment plan of the "Fire" is planned to start within 90 days and recruit 46,000 young people from 17.5 to 21 years old. India's Minister of Defense Singh said it was hoped to use this plan to promote the youth of the army. But for the Indian government, the most important benefit of the "road of fire" is that it can save a lot of personnel expenses. Data show that in 2021, India's defense expenditure was about $ 76.6 billion, ranking third in the world, second only to the United States and China. But about half of Indian military expenditure for pensions and salary for soldiers. Most countries generally account for about one -third. However, it is contrary to his wishes. The "road of fire" ignited the anger of Indian young people. Violence protests spread to 8 states. Some young people rushed into the train station and burned the train. The Indian government cut off Internet services in 12 regions. On June 20, over 500 trains were canceled.

So why did military service reform attract fierce opposition from Indian youth?

It is a good career to be a soldier in India for millions of military households in India

Indian officers are treated well and sufficient salary, but recruitment is harsh. The difficulty of Indian officers is much higher than that of civil servants, and it is basically a specific class of high surnames. India has 1.4 million soldiers. Soldiers enrolled in the army are relatively loose and are not restricted by surnames. India's per capita wage in 2020 was 12,625 rupees (about 1082 yuan). In contrast, an ordinary soldier, between 20,000 and 40,000 rupees (about 1715 yuan to 3430 yuan). If it is promoted as a captain, basically the income of the person is enough to support the family.

The long -term service period of Indian soldiers means iron rice bowl. The minimum soldiers' service life is 17 years, and the above sergeants can be extended to 21 to 28 years. If it becomes a low -level commissioner (marine and the air force), it can be extended to 26 to 33 years. Moreover, the retirement age was very early, the officials were 60 years old, the school officer was 55 years old, the officer was 50 years old, and the low -level commissioned officers (seas and Air Force marchmen) were 50 years old. However, the Indian officer system is actually a system that combines the appointment system inherited from the United Kingdom and the surname system. Therefore, senior officers are basically served by high surnames.

India's recruitment is very popular, and the number of applicants is often several times the number of plans.

The basic conditions required by the Indian military are relatively loose.

Height: 170 cm or above; education: graduate and above junior high school; political review: no criminals in family history; medical examination: conventional examination (including vision, hearing power, etc.), 1600 meters long run must be completed within 6 and a half periods of the prescribed 6 and a half periods. 20 times.

The disadvantages of the old Indian recruitment system are not easy to reform

The service of "long standby" means that soldiers are generally too old. According to the Indian military statistics, the average age of soldiers is as high as 32 years, and many of the "uncle soldiers" between 30 and 40 years old are not as good as young people. And the service time is too long, and there are a lot of "soldier oil".

Indian media estimates that if it can be replaced with a four -year military service system, Indian soldiers will gradually become younger, about 6 years, and the average age of the Indian army can be reduced to about 26 years old. Moreover, after the reform, India's military expenditure will be placed in purchasing weapons and daily training, which is conducive to the improvement of combat effectiveness.

However, there are disadvantages for benefits. The reform of the recruitment system is conducive to the Indian army, but it is not conducive to India's social stability. Because the unemployment rate of India's 15 to 29 -year -olds has been above 20%for a long time. The joining the army has become an important way for many young people at the bottom. The reform moved the cake of young people. In a letter from the Indian Northern State People's Party member Valen Gandhi pointed out in a letter to Indian Defense Minister Singh that the person recruited by the new recruitment plan will be unemployed after 4 years of service, " This number increases every year. "

Indian media also pointed out that India's retirement system is incomplete and has not considered a lot to arrange for retired soldiers. Perhaps in the past at least 17 years of long service period, retirement is not a big problem, but now 4 years will return to the society. First, the number of people who need to be resettled will increase. Have not been recognized by young people. Some Indian soldiers who have joined the army also expressed dissatisfaction. They point out that the time for joining the army is too short, which is not conducive to military training and running -in. Indian media worry that the new reform will destroy the cohesion of the country's army, and soldiers will change from comrades to potential future workplace competitions.

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