Military reforms undertaken to modernise armed forces: PM Modi

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

India has gained new strategic strength in recent years and its borders are now more secure than ever, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday even as he highlighted efforts to modernise the military and make it «young and battle ready» to confront future challenges. In his Independence Day address from the ramparts of Red Fort, Modi also reiterated his government's unwavering resolve to ensure national security amid the current global security scenario. «India has gained a new strategic strength in recent years and today our borders are more secure than ever,» Modi said.

He said a number of military reforms are being undertaken to modernise the armed forces and make them young and battle ready to deal with the future challenges. The government last year rolled out the Agnipath recruitment scheme for the short-term induction of soldiers. The scheme is aimed at bringing down the age profile of the three services.

Under the Agnipath scheme, announced on June 14 last year, the three services are recruiting youths between the age bracket of 17-and-half years and 21 for four years with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for 15 more years. For 2022, the upper age limit was extended to 23 years. The prime minister also emphasised that the people of the country feel safe today as there has been a drastic decline in the number of terrorist attacks.

When the country is peaceful and secure, new goals of development are achieved, he said. The prime minister also referred to the 'One Rank One Pension' scheme and said it was implemented by his government as soon as it came to power. «The OROP was a matter of respect for the soldiers of our country.