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How Agnipath is turning the spotlight on India's unemployment crisis

A military recruitment plan (Agnipath) in India that sparked last month's violent protests is turning the spotlight on an unemployment crisis plaguing the $3.2 trillion economy

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The government says employment generation is its primary concern, and has cited various data to support its stance that the labor market is recovering after the pandemic.

Vrishti Beniwal and Bibhudatta Pradhan | Bloomberg
A military recruitment plan (Agnipath) in India that sparked last month’s violent protests is turning the spotlight on an unemployment crisis plaguing the $3.2 trillion economy, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign pledges on jobs.
 
Behind the unrest is a new policy to enlist young men as soldiers on four-year contracts without pension, replacing the current 15-year service that entails full retirement benefits. Modi's government says the program will boost employment by supplying a trained, disciplined workforce to local industry. Critics say that it would be similar to hiring for the gig economy and won’t lead to high-quality jobs.