Jalandhar: Alarmed over the decline in the interest in joining the army over the years, the Indian Army recently made a fervent appeal to the youth of Punjab to join the glorious Sikh Regiment, which has a history of fighting some of the fiercest battles and boasts numerous gallantry honours and awards.The Sikh Regiment’s appeal to the youth, with the slogan: ‘Come, join the Army. Come, join the Sikh Regiment’, comes at a time when army recruitments are at an all-time low in Punjab. The slogan, it is hoped, will ignite memories of the valour of the regiment among Punjab’s young, propelling them to attempt to join the force.There was a time when districts such as Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Amritsar and Tarn Taran were famous for sending the most youngsters into the army. Not just recruitment; even finding the match of a soldier for a girl in the villages is still considered a matter of pride.However, that trend witnessed a shift following the mass migration of young people to countries such as Canada, the United States, United Kingdom and Australia on study and work visas, a trend accelerated by the launch of the Union government’s Agnipath scheme.The Agnipath scheme was launched in 2022 for the recruitment of Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR) for a period of four years, as compared to the army’s regular service with pension and benefits. Another contributing factor for the decline is the scourge of drugs and the rise of gangsterism, which have made many ineligible to join the army.Notably, last year, during an event at Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur in Jalandhar, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann shared that the Western Command General Officer Commanding-in-Chief had told him that the Sikh Regiment was facing a shortfall in potential recruits and had sought the government’s help. The head of the Western Command told CM Mann that the army was not getting enough soldiers in the Sikh Regiment, which was a worrying trend given the state’s legacy of sending the maximum number to the regiment.Army’s appeal: Bravery is our traditionIn its statement, the army appealed to the youth of Punjab to step forward, join the Sikh Regiment, and become a source of pride for their parents and families. “Serving in such a renowned and prestigious regiment is a matter of great honour and privilege,” it said.“Despite certain manpower-related challenges, the Sikh Regiment continues to demonstrate high standards of performance and consistently meets the Indian Army’s elevated expectations,” it read. “The warrior spirit that flows through Punjabi veins finds its highest expression through service in the Indian Army,” the statement said.Also read: Agnipath: NDA Allies’ Pressure, Internal Review May Lead to Changes in SchemeIt also stated that the Sikh Regiment is one of the most distinguished and elite regiments of the Indian Army and has consistently been at the forefront of operational effectiveness. It has 75 Battle Honours, 38 Theatre Honours and over 1,650 gallantry awards, making it one of the most decorated units of the Indian Army and the Commonwealth.The statement emphasised that the warrior tradition of the Sikh Regiment was laid down by the Sixth Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji, and was strengthened and immortalised by the Tenth Guru, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. The timeless principles of courage, discipline and sacrifice continue to inspire generations of Sikh soldiers even today, the statement read.It highlighted the historic ‘Battle of Saragarhi,’ a legendrary battle fought by the 36th Battalion of the Sikh Regiment (now the 4 Sikh Battalion) in the nineteenth century. Despite being heavily outnumbered, all 21 Sikh soldiers fought to the death in this battle, displaying extraordinary bravery. This is why it is celebrated as a symbol of courage and sacrifice in the Sikh Regiment and the Indian Army.‘Agnipath discouraged the youth’Despite this glorious past, it is learnt that the Colonel of the Sikh Regiment has now had to especially ask the battalions stationed in Punjab to identify potential recruits and motivate them to join the regiment. “The central government has also conveyed it to the Ministry of Defence to push the recruitment of Sikh soldiers in the Sikh Regiments,” a senior army officer told The Wire.Expressing concern over the shortfall of manpower, Brigadier Harwant Singh (Retd.), a fifth-generation army officer, told The Wire that the trend of joining the armed forces had already been on the decline in Punjab, as people were heading to Canada and the United States for better opportunities instead of considering life in the army.“To add to the downfall, the government launched the Agnipath scheme, which further discouraged them,” he said.Sikh Regiment of the British Indian Army in Mesopotamia during World War I, being led by Guru Granth Sahib.Terming the Agnipath scheme as nothing short of ‘contractual bonded labour’, Brigadier Harwant said there is no guarantee of employment after four years of Agniveer service. “Agnipath is exploitation and a compulsion of the poor. It is the unemployed or those who have no means to go abroad in Punjab who are joining this scheme,” he added.He said that the central government has assured a 50% quota for the Agniveers in the Border Security Force (BSF) post-retirement, but the question is of guarantee. “If a person knows that he will have to fend for himself after four years of service, why will he join the service?” he said.Also read: Survey About Agniveers Reveal 72% of Participants Felt Job Stress, 60% Had Negative Views on AgnipathCiting the experience in Punjab, Brigadier Harwant said that there is a 13% quota for ex-servicemen in state government jobs, but less than 3% are filled. “Around 10% of these jobs are taken by others. With such dismal facts, how can one expect the youth to join the Agnipath scheme? If the central government is serious about recruiting Sikhs in the army, it will have to either modify the Agnipath scheme or scrap it altogether,” he said.As a suggestion, Brigadier Harwant said that the government should conduct a study to make the army more attractive for the youths. “The urge to join the army should come from within, and that is possible only if major changes are made to the Agnipath scheme,” he said.Similarly, Brigadier Kuldip Singh Kahlon (Retd.) said that the decline in the number of Sikh youths joining the army from Punjab was primarily because of the Agnipath scheme, though the trend of going abroad and drug abuse were also major contributing factors.Brigadier Kahlon told The Wire: “It is because of the Agnipath scheme that many potential Sikh recruits, who would have joined the army, preferred going abroad. Despite knowing that they will have to do menial jobs abroad, the young are still moving abroad.”“When there are no perks of pension, medical, canteen facilities and a mere four-year service for the Agniveers, how can one motivate the young to join the army or the Sikh Regiment?” Brigadier Kahlon said.Brigadier Kahlon wrote to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami, requesting them to take remedial measures and ensure that Punjabis, especially Sikhs, joined the army.“I never received any response either from the chief minister or the SGPC president. As a last resort, I wrote an open letter to Chief Minister Mann in a Punjabi newspaper to intervene at the earliest before it was too late, but nobody responded,” he said.He also said the recent assault case of Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath and the vehicle-hit case of Lieutenant General D.S. Hooda, the Northern Army Commander, were grim reminders that the Punjab government was not bothered about the honour and dignity of soldiers.Also read: Agniveer’s Alleged Suicide This Week Bring Deaths Since Last Year to ~20: ReportAs a remedial measure, Brigadier Kahlon said, to begin with, the SGPC and prominent Sikh institutions in Punjab should take the lead. “They run schools and colleges in the state, and they should motivate the youth to join the Sikh Regiment,” he said.Further, the Punjab government should take the help of retired soldiers and trace potential youngsters from the villages to overcome the shortage of manpower in the Sikh Regiment, he said.70% decline in interest in joining armyAmong those who once aspired to join the army but went abroad because of Agnipath was Jalandhar-based Manpreet Singh. His father Kamaljit Singh said, “My son was inspired by his grandfather to join the army. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, he maintained his physical fitness and kept preparing for the army recruitment. But when the [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi government launched the Agnipath scheme, he was disheartened. We spent Rs 25 lakh and sent him to Australia on a study visa. Today, he is earning while learning in Australia.”A Punjab government instructor at the Centre for Training and Development of Punjab Youth (C-PYTE), a state government-run organisation which primarily prepares youths for the armed forces and other government exams, said that the Sikh Regiment’s concern was deeply worrisome but grounded in fact – there has been a decline of over 70% in youth joining the army in Punjab.These days, the instructor said, the preparation camps were getting merely 30% of the usual number of young men earlier expressing interest in joining the army. “Though the central government would not like to accept it, the fact is that the Agnipath scheme came as a huge dampener for hundreds of army aspirants in Punjab. The only solution to overcome this shortfall is a complete rollback of the Agnipath scheme or a change in the service tenure,” he said.He said that prior to the Agnipath scheme, they used to select young boys for C-PYTE’s army recruitment preparation camp. “As the strength reduced drastically following the Agnipath scheme, we stopped selecting youths. These days, the training is open for everybody, but still we are not getting enough youths. Some of the youths who joined the training camps also went abroad,” he added.He asked the same crucial question one hears regularly these days: How one can find the finest Sikh youths for the Sikh Regiment when the term of service for Agniveers is just four years?“The Indian Army was the only pensionable job in the country with the best of facilities for ex-servicemen, including its canteen, hospitals and other state government-supported benefits. In contrast, the Agniveers are not entitled to any such post-retirement benefits, leaving aspirants dejected and seeking a life abroad,” he added.