New Delhi: The Indian National Congress (INC) has in its poll manifesto for the general election promised to scrap the Agnipath scheme and to bring the post of National Security Adviser (NSA) under the supervision of Parliament, if voted to power.
Through its manifesto, released Friday, the Congress said that if elected to power at the Centre, it will ensure a return to the earlier recruitment processes followed by the Army, Navy and Air Force that it says will guarantee economic and social security for our soldiers.
The incumbent BJP-led NDA had in June 2022 introduced the Agnipath scheme for short-term induction of personnel into the armed forces. This was done with an aim to reduce the burden of pensions — since Agniveers recruited under the scheme are not entitled to pensions — as well as to bring down the age profile of the services.
The move was met with nationwide protests.
Under this scheme, the armed forces can recruit men and women between the ages of 17.5 and 21 years for a four-year period. At the end of this period, the government will retain 25 percent of the total recruits from each batch for a longer tenure.
The Congress in its poll manifesto says that if voted to power, it will also bring the National Security Council (NSC) and the office of National Security Adviser (NSA) under the oversight of a select committee of Parliament. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), led by the Prime Minister, oversees the appointment of the NSA.
The NSC is the top body of the three-tiered national security management system and has four verticals, namely Strategic Planning, Internal Affairs, Intelligence and Technology and Military.
Furthermore, the manifesto also talks about the formulation of a National Security Strategy, the absence of which, according to the Congress, led to ‘ad hoc and personalised policymaking’ under the current government. “After detailed deliberations, Congress will issue a comprehensive National Security Strategy,” the manifesto reads.
Citing joint operations, the Congress has promised a reform in the process to appoint the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). It says that the post is ‘sensitive and crucial’ for military reform, preparedness and joint operations and that the party will institutionalise the process of appointing the CDS to ensure ‘transparency and military consensus’.
The party has also promised to open combat and non-combat roles for women in the three forces.
While the Navy and Air Force have women in officer as well as soldier ranks, the Army currently has women only in officer ranks. The Congress says that it will ‘systematically expand the opportunities’ for women to serve in combatant and non-combatant roles in the armed forces, if voted to power in the Lok Sabha elections set to commence on 19 April.
Regarding the issue of ‘One Rank One Pension’ (OROP), the party says it will ‘rectify the anomalies that have arisen in the implementation of OROP by the BJP/NDA government’.
“We will restore the disability pension and make it tax-free,” it adds.
The manifesto also talks about implementing the OROP in accordance with an order of the UPA government dated 26 February 2014. The Congress has repeatedly attacked the BJP in this regard, claiming that ‘large scale anomalies’ would not have emerged had the scheme been implemented in ‘letter and spirit’ of the original notification.
Furthermore, the Congress’s manifesto also talks about increasing defence spending. If voted to power, the party says it will reverse the decline in defence expenditure as a proportion of total expenditure and that will ensure allocation of sufficient funds to meet the requirements of the forces. It also promises rapid expansion of domestic capacity to manufacture defence and security hardware and equipment.
Given the changes in the character of warfare, it says it will come up with ‘suitable policies’ to address new age issues and subjects. It adds that the concept of national security in the 21st century goes beyond territorial defence to include hybrid warfare, data security, cyber security, financial security, communication security and security of trade routes.
In addition, the party says it will bring in a new ‘Operational Directive’ to deal with India’s current two-front challenge, if voted to power.
It also says that it will establish a National Economic Security Board under the NSC which will be tasked with monitoring possible risks to global supply chain disruptions and suggesting counter actions.
The proposed security board, it says, will suggest measures to reduce over-dependence on large import sources, besides recommending a future course of action toward inward and outward investments. It will monitor global financial flows and identify potential threats to India, along with actions required to mitigate them in advance. The board will also look at digital and cybersecurity issues that may threaten India’s digital financial infrastructure.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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