Agnipath: Drawing a fine line between Service and its perks

On 14 June 2022, the Government of India made an announcement about the Agnipath Scheme. When the ball was set rolling, unrest was witnessed across the nation. These agitations took a violent turn in some parts of the country. Due to the clouds of confusion around its implementation and effectiveness, a bisecting line could be seen among civilians and veterans alike.

This begs the question, with varied reforms already in place, what makes the Agnipath scheme so infamous? The answer can be found by understanding the recruitment system of the Indian Armed Forces.