Avoid sudden changes

Recruitment reform should have been handled carefully

Many parts of north India have been rocked by protests against the new recruitment scheme for the Indian armed forces, which the government has called “Agnipath”. Last week, the Union Cabinet cleared the new system, which it described in glowing terms: “(A) transformative move to modernise the country’s armed forces” which would “create opportunities for the youth” and upgrade their skills. Reducing the manpower intake of the army in order to transfer its focus to advanced weaponry has long been advised. India cannot maintain a World War One-style army to fight 21st-century wars — the Ukraine conflict has made it