Whittling down the cost of soldiers

The army needs a holistic approach to raising more cost-effective personnel and units

It has been over a year and a half since the Ministry of Defence (MoD), facing criticism for rising personnel costs, announced a new recruitment scheme named Agnipath Yojana. It was aimed at lowering the average age of India’s military by four to five years, from the current average of 32 years to a more sustainable average of 27 years. Given the stakes involved, it would be essential to evaluate how the scheme is faring at this point, whether any course corrections are needed or whether it is time to deepen the government’s commitment to Agnipath.

Belying its filmi name,