Agniveers look for jobs, Indian caught in war, and a nurse trapped abroad
3 Things
This episode of '3 Things' explores three distinct stories involving Indians navigating significant life transitions and international crise
Key takeaways
- Uttarakhand is establishing an 'Agniveer Cell' to bridge the gap between military training and civilian employment for returning soldiers.
- The Agnipath scheme allows only 25% of recruits to be retained permanently, leaving 75% to transition to civilian life after four years.
Main topics
- Agniveer employment transition
- Russia-Ukraine war impact on Indians
Notable quotes
I don't want war. I killed no one. If possible, send me home to India.
Conclusion
The episode highlights the profound human costs associated with global
Transcript preview
Speaker 2 (0:00) In today's episode, we look at the story of a young man from Gujarat who ended up in a Ukrainian prisoner of war facility after travelling to Russia and his family's efforts to bring him home. We also turn to Jharkhand where a nurse who travelled to Dubai for a better paying job says she became trapped in an exploitative arrangement and is now seeking help to return to India. But first, we talk about the return of the very first batch of Agnivis and the government's efforts to help them find employment. Speaker 2 (0:47) It was in 2022 that the government introduced the Agnipath scheme, a recruitment program for young Indians who wish to join the armed forces. Under the scheme, Agniveers are inducted into the armed forces for a fixed tenure of four years. And at the end of this period, Up to 25 % are retained for permanent service, while the remaining 75 % return to civilian life. Now, the first batch of Agni Veers will soon be completing their four-year tenure with the armed forces. And Uttarakhand, where military service is common among families, is setting up an Agni Veer cell to help them find employment, develop additional skills and explore self-employment opportunities. So, to learn more about this program, how it will be, facilitate employment for Gniveers and the challenges it may face. My colleague Niharika Nanda speaks with the Indian Express's Vidisha Kuntamala, who has reported on Speaker 1 (1:44) the issue. So Vidisha, firstly tell us about the Agniveer cell. What exactly is it supposed to do? Speaker 3 (1:52) So I would describe it essentially as a transition mechanism for Agniveers who complete their four-year engagement and then are now set to return to their civilian life. The most important thing is that it is not meant to just... be another employment cell because the MHA is already trying to do that for Speaker 2 (2:15) all the Agni Veers who are set to return back this year. But Speaker 3 (2:18) the proposal for Uttarakhand specially is to have one institutional mechanism that understands who these Agni Veers are, what skills they have acquired in the armed forces and what jobs are available and what additional training they might need if in case they need to upgrade their skills to make. them a suitable candidate to jobs available in the state. So on one side, you have the Agniwears, their educational qualifications, military trade, technical skills and experience. And on the other side, you have vacancies in government departments, PSUs and the private sector. So the cell is supposed to act as a bridge between facilitating the Agniwears and the opportunities which are available in the state. And so this also becomes particularly important for Uttarakhand because military service is deeply embedded in the state's social and economic landscape for years. So the first two sizable army batches for, I would say, one Navy and one army batch from Uttarakhand are expected to return around. The army is expected to return around December 2026 and the cell estimates that around 1200 Agnewis will be returning in the coming few months. Speaker 1 (3:34) So, like you mentioned, the MHA is also planning a similar initiative. Then, why is such a cell needed? What sets it apart? Because Speaker 3 (3:45) there is Speaker 1 (3:45) a very important translation Speaker 3 (3:47) problem between military skills and the civilian job market. An Agniveer may have spent four years working in logistics, communications, vehicle maintenance, engineering support or security or any other specialized military role. But they may have discipline, physical training and considerable practical experience. But as a civilian employer, they will not necessarily understand what that experience translates into the terms of a civilian job. So the question, I mean, it is simply not about does this person have a skill? It is also about how do we translate this skill into an employable civilian qualification. And there is also another structural issue. So under Agnipath, only up to 25 % of a badge can be retained in the regular cadre. So the rest leave after four years with the SEVA and a skill certificate. So for the state, this isn't going to be... a one-off issue involving a handful of people, successive batches will keep returning with the same, you know, certificate. So that is why the cell is being conceived as a continuing institutional mechanism rather than just an ad hoc employment drive. Speaker 1 (4:58) And Vidisha, what kind of challenges do you think the cell can face in the process of providing Agni viewers with employment? I think the biggest challenge Speaker 3 (5:07) is going to be execution rather than the creation of the cell itself. You can create a database of Agni Beers, but that database is only useful if you have an equally dynamic database of actual vacancies. The cell will have to know continuously, I mean, not only for this batch, but for every batch that is going to come out, as to who is hiring, for what positions, what the eligibility criteria are. what salary is being offered and whether an Agniveer's Speaker 2 (5:35) military Speaker 3 (5:35) experience is actually relevant to that job. So, I mean, of course, the biggest problem that they need to cater to is the timing. The first army batch, which is expected to return towards the end of 2026 or early 2027, that is December or January. So the state doesn't have an unlimited window to build this mechanism. If an Agniveer comes back and doesn't see meaningful opportunities quickly, They may simply take whatever employment is immediately available. And I think another challenge is that not every Adniveer will want the same thing. Some may want government employment. Some may look at PSUs. Some may want a private sector job. And some may want to start their own business. So the cell has to be flexible enough to deal with every different aspiration. Speaker 1 (6:22) And talking about that. What kind of a process will be followed to figure out which job is suitable for them and what interests them? Speaker 3 (6:31) The proposal of the cell is essentially to build a consolidated profile of every Uttarakhand domiciled Agniveer. That would include their education qualifications, the armed force and the unit they served in, their military trade and technical or vocational skills when they were recruited. And when they complete service, their employment status after leaving and whether they need employment