72% of Agniveers in job stress, 60% harbour negative views on Agnipath: Survey

New Delhi: New Delhi: A new survey has revealed that a majority of participants of the Indian government’s Tour of Duty or Agniveer scheme—which offers short-term service in the armed forces— are under job-related stress, The Wire reported citing Gujarat Samachar.

The study by Manish Jangid, a student at MS University’s Faculty of Social Work, under the guidance of Dr. Sharmishtha Solanki, surveyed 50 Agniveers across India revealing that 60% of participants held negative opinions about the Agnipath scheme.

Under the scheme introduced by the Centre, recruits serve four years in the armed forces and only 25 percent of them are retained for permanent positions with the rest of them being discharged after the course.

The scheme, launched in June 2022 to recruit ‘below the officer’s rank’ cadres of the three services, has faced severe criticism from the Opposition at the time of its implementation.

Seventy percent of those responded to the survey revealed they experienced the job stress alongside 52% expressed anxiety about job prospects after completing the scheme.

Around 54% of those surveyed said they wanted long-term service rather than four years, while 26% showed little interest or confidence in permanent roles.

When asked about training quality, 38% were satisfied, 40% were dissatisfied, and 22% remained neutral.

Among those surveyed, 48% said their job stress was moderate, 26% viewed it as high, while 12% said they did not experience stress at all.

Notably, 72% of respondents felt that the limited period of service negatively affected their overall job satisfaction.

Where around 46% of the participants worried about post-service job opportunities, 8% expressed strong concern; however, 34% were optimistic about finding jobs after the tenure, according to the report.