News Analysis India

Tag: Agnipath scheme

  • Agnipath scheme will create ‘dreadful’ situation in country: AAP MP Sanjay Singh writes to PM Modi

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: AAP MP Sanjay Singh on Wednesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and urged him to “immediately” roll back the Agnipath military recruitment scheme, claiming that the country will face a “dreadful situation” if it is implemented.

    Flagging a host of deficiencies in the scheme, Singh claimed that its implementation would “destroy” the basic structure and capability of the army with recruitment of soldiers and their deployment after merely six months of training.

    With the scheme offering a short-term service with no pension and other benefits, Singh claimed, anti-national and criminal outfits may mislead and use against the country and the society those who would not get any job and face financial hardships after coming out of the forces on completion of four years of their service.

    ALSO READ| Some people ‘spreading anarchy’ to ‘remove’ PM: Ramdev on Agnipath protests

    “It is astonishing that the government is preparing to deploy crores of youths in front of the enemy’s bayonets by providing them merely six months of training,” The AAP MP said in his letter to the prime minister.

    The country’s army today have such soldiers on the borders that no power in the world can compete with them because they underwent “one-and-a-half to two years” of rigorous and efficient training after their recruitment, Singh said.

    “Without adequate training, what will our youth be able to do other than endangering their lives as well as the security and sovereignty of the country?” he asked.

    He also urged the prime minister to think what would be the state of mind of the jawans to be recruited under the Agnipath scheme and deployed on the borders, asking will they have “the morale to give a befitting reply to the enemy” when they are worried every moment about their future after completion of four years of their service.

    He also urged the prime minister to consider what will happen if a soldier, who is recruited under the scheme and trained in handling all types weapons, is misled by anti-national and criminal outfits after he returns home after completing four years of service and faces financial hardships while being unemployed.

    ALSO READ| Agnipath scheme in a real sense is a scam meant to inflame India’s youth, says Kanhaiya Kumar

    “(If that happens) what a big challenge it can become for the internal security of the country and peace of the society. Certainly, efforts will be made by the anti-national and criminal outfits to mislead these young youths and use them against the country and society taking advantage of their financial hardships,” Singh said.

    The AAP MP said the implementation of the scheme will push crores of youths of the country into “the dark lane of despair and depression”. “In the coming years, this scheme will create such a dreadful situation in the country that perhaps the government and its machinery of that time will have to deploy all its energy in dealing with it,” he added.

    Singh termed the roll-out of the scheme “an outrageous move and a foolish decision” and accused the Narendra Modi government of going ahead with such a military recruitment plan just to make a claim through “this short-cut” that it provided jobs to lakhs of people in one stroke.

    The AAP leader dubbed the rollout of the Agnipath scheme “petty political trickery” and urged the prime minister to “immediately withdraw this black scheme”.

    He said that India is caught in “the vicious cycle” of economic depression, inflation and unemployment as the Narendra Modi government has failed “miserably” in bringing the country’s economy back on track due to its wrong policies.

    “In such a situation, in some way you want to reduce the pension bill of the army. That is why you are deciding to do away with the pension of army personnel through Agnipath scheme,” he charged in his letter to the prime minister.

    “I would like to suggest to you that the thousands of crores which your government is spending every year on your image building, glorification and advertisement, if that expenditure is stopped, then the exchequer will get a lot of relief,” he added.

  • Agnipath scheme in a real sense is a scam meant to inflame India’s youth, says Kanhaiya Kumar

    By Online Desk

    Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar dubbed the Agnipath military recruitment scheme a ‘scam,’ and denied the role of opposition in encouraging violence, as claimed by the BJP, against the scheme. 

    Speaking to NDTV, he said the root cause of the protest has to be understood first.

    “This Agnipath scheme in real sense is a scam meant to inflame the youths of the country. With full responsibility, I am saying this because in the past three days one can view the development. Isn’t the government aware of the outcome of such announcements and schemes? Have not they done any assessment of the reaction of the youth? The damage control work that they are doing today in a jiffy, why haven’t they done it before announcing the scheme?” he questioned.

    Kanhaiya Kumar noted that the reason for this whole crisis is that the unemployment rate of Bihar is double that of the national figure. The jobless youths are left with no other alternatives. The government is not serious about addressing the unemployment problem in the country. 

    On the government’s plea that it wants to reduce the army’s average age, Kanhaiya said it wants to reduce the number and not the “age”. The truth is that this government wants to reduce spending and it is playing with the security of the country.

    “Every year 50,000 army personnel were recruited. The recruitment did not happen for the past two years because of Covid-19. The government has answers to how it is going to clear the backlog of 28 lakh vacant government posts,” he said.

    ALSO READ | PM Modi will have to withdraw ‘Agnipath’ scheme, it’s weakening the army: Rahul Gandhi

    In his address in Bengaluru, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that “many decisions/reforms may seem unfair in the beginning but later they help in nation-building. Many decisions/reforms benefit the country, they lead us to new goals and new resolutions.”

    Commenting on the PM’s address, Kanhaiya said, “I was hoping that the PM would appeal to the youth for peace. He will appeal to the youth to stop the violence and not to damage public property and the government would address their issues but no such appeal was made.” 

    Referring to the ongoing protests, Kanhaiya said, “Nobody protested when lemon was sold at 150 rupees or when there was oxygen scarcity; the same people of Bihar walked 1000 miles along railway tracks and highway to reach Bihar during Covid-19, nor did they set trains on fire. When the value of rupees dipped with respect to dollars, have you seen any violence? Or in any petrol pump for price hike? The government has snatched today’s youth’s dream. One revolutionary poet has written it’s dangerous to kill one’s dream.”

    “People never come out against the government. When the trust was broken, they oppose. When the Annadata’s hypocrisy was broken, the protest came to the fore. Similarly, two crore jobs were promised to the youth. When that didn’t happen, there was opposition. The youth feel that they are being cheated so they came on the road. If it is the opposition then who listens to the opposition? If the opposition was heard, the BJP would not have been running the government in the country. The youth feel that the government is cheating on them,” he added.

    AGNIPATH EXPLAINER: All you need to know about the scheme

    Kanhaiya was of the impression that the people of this country had trusted the PM. “On his appeal, they even lighted lamps, banged plates with the hope if Modi is saying, it may be for some good but the government reneged on the promise of doubling farmer’s income and implemented farm’s law to benefit the merchant, the people now got the messages that they should not rely on him.”

    Kanhaiya appealed to the youth of the country not to damage private, and public property. “The damage of the private or government property is ultimately the country’s property and it’s our responsibility to safeguard it. It can be done not only by being an army man but also as a citizen, we have to protect it. Fight for your justice, but follow the path of truth and non-violence.”

  • No question of rollback of Agnipath scheme: National Security Advisor Ajit Doval

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: There was no question of a rollback of the Agnipath military recruitment scheme, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval asserted on Tuesday. In an interview to a news agency, Doval said that India has one of the youngest populations in the world and it cannot continue to have an army with a high average age.

    There were people who just wanted conflict in society to discredit the government, Doval added. On what will happen to the Agniveers after four years, the NSA said, “When recruits from the first batch of Agniveers retire, India will be 5-trillion-dollar economy; industry will need people who have age on their side. These men and women will still be young and won’t have family compulsions.”

    ALSO READ| Protests should be peaceful: Pankaj Tripathi on anti-Agnipath demonstrations

    On the controversy over Nupur Sharma’s remark on Prophet Mohammed, Doval said it had dented India’s reputation internationally. “It has (damaged India’s reputation), in the sense that India has been projected or some disinformation has been spread which is far from the reality. There is a need for us to engage them…Wherever we have engaged with the concerned people, both outside and inside, we have been able to convince them,” the NSA said.

    Talking about the border standoff with China, he said, “We have made our intentions very clear to China and they are aware we will not tolerate any transgression.”

  • Plea filed in Supreme Court against Agnipath recruitment scheme, terms it ‘illegal’

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: A plea was filed in the Supreme Court on Monday against the Centre’s Agnipath scheme alleging that the government has quashed the century-old selection process for the Armed forces which is contrary to the constitutional provisions and without having parliamentary approval.

    The Agnipath scheme, announced on June 14, provides for the recruitment of youths between the age bracket of 17-and-a-half-years to 21 for only four years with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for 15 more years.

    ALSO READ| Eastern Railway cancels 12 interstate trains due to agitation over ‘Agnipath’ scheme

    Protests have erupted in several states against the scheme. Later, the government extended the upper age limit to 23 years for recruitment in 2022. The plea, filed in the apex court by advocate ML Sharma, has sought to quash the June 14 notification/press note claiming it to be illegal and unconstitutional.

    It alleged that on June 14, 2022, contrary to the constitutional provisions and without having approval in parliament and without any gazette notification, the Centre tinkered with the century-old Army selection process and imposed the scheme for recruitment in all three Armed forces divisions. The plea also referred to the protest all over the country against the scheme.

    ALSO READ| Agnipath scheme: Army issues recruitment notification, online registration to begin July

    Last week, a separate petition was filed in the top court seeking a direction to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the damage to public properties including that of Railways, and violent protests against the Centre’s Agnipath scheme.

    The plea has also sought directions to the Centre and Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Haryana, and Rajasthan governments to submit a status report on the violent protests. It has sought a direction to set up an expert committee under the chairmanship of a retired apex court judge to examine the scheme and its impact on national security and Army.

  • Over 80 trains cancelled on Monday amid Agnipath protests

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Over 80 trains have been cancelled on Monday amid the protests in various parts of the country against the new recruitment scheme in the Armed Forces.

    A total of 18 East-bound train services scheduled from different Northern Railway terminals have been cancelled today, according to Northern Railways.

    It further informed that as many as 71 Delhi area-bound commuter trains (including return services) have also been dismissed for today in the wake of the protests against the Centre’s Agnipath recruitment scheme.

    ALSO READ: Security forces deployed in several states amid Bharat Bandh call

    Train services of the Western Railway zone were affected yesterday as well. Security has been beefed up in several states on Monday amid protests against the Centre’s new Agnipath recruitment scheme.

    After the policy, which allows Indian youths to serve in the regular cadre of the Armed Forces for a period of four years, was announced on June 14, protests erupted in various states including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand and Assam.

    As the agitation intensified in some places, protestors went on the rampage setting trains on fire, torching vehicles and damaging both private and public properties.Congress will also hold “peaceful” protests across the country on Monday against the “anti-youth” Agnipath recruitment scheme.

    ALSO READ: Draft notification on hires Monday; army to hold 83 recruitment rallies across country

    Taking to Twitter, Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh said on Sunday, “Tomorrow lakhs of Congress workers across the country will continue peaceful protests against the anti-youth Agnipath scheme and against Modi government’s vendetta politics targeting its MP Rahul Gandhi.”

    Several organisations will stage protests against the Agnipath scheme at Jantar Mantar in the national capital today. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai too will join the protest.

    “A joint movement will be organized at Jantar Mantar in Delhi at 11 am on June 20 against the Agnipath scheme,” Rai had said in a tweet on Friday.

    ALSO READ: All you need to know about Army recruitment scheme that has India on the boil

    A total of 46,000 Agniveers will be recruited this year but a top military officer said it will go up to 1.25 lakhs in near future. The entry age for all new recruits in the Armed Forces has been fixed as 17.5 to 21 years of age. However, following protests, the Central government announced an increase in the upper age limit for the recruitment of Agniveers from 21 years to 23 years for the recruitment cycle of 2022 as it has not been possible to undertake the recruitment during the last two years.

    In Rajasthan’s Jaipur, prohibitory orders under section 144 have been imposed from 6 pm on Sunday till midnight of August 18 in the view of the possibility of disturbance to law and order due to the protests.

  • Agnipath: Security forces deployed in several states amid Bharat Bandh call

    By Online Desk

    In view of the Bharat Bandh called by some organisations as a protest against the Agnipath recruitment scheme, security has been beefed up in several states on Monday.

    The Union Cabinet on June 14 approved a recruitment scheme for Indian youth to serve in the three services of the Armed Forces called Agnipath and the youth selected under this scheme will be known as Agniveers.

    ALSO READ: Draft notification on hires Monday; army to hold 83 recruitment rallies across country

    After the policy, which allows Indian youths to serve in the regular cadre of the Armed Forces for a period of four years, was announced on June 14, protests erupted in various states including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand and Assam. As the agitation intensified in some places, protestors went on the rampage setting trains on fire, torching vehicles and damaging both private and public properties.

    Over 80 trains cancelled

    Due to ongoing students’ agitation against the Centre’s Agnipath scheme across the nation, over 80 trains have been cancelled on Monday.

    A total of 18 East-bound train services scheduled from different Northern Railway terminals have been cancelled, according to Northern Railways. It further informed that as many as 71 Delhi area-bound commuter trains (including return services) have also been dismissed for today in the wake of the protests against the Centre’s Agnipath recruitment scheme.

    Congress to meet President and demand withdrawal of Scheme

    Congress General Secretary Ajay Maken said that the Congress will hold Satyagraha at Jantar Mantar on Monday and demand the President withdraw the Agnipath recruitment scheme.

    “We’ll sit on Satyagraha at Jantar Mantar today, and in the evening at 5 pm we’ll meet the President and demand that the Agnipath scheme be withdrawn,” said Congress’ Ajay Maken.

    ALSO READ: All you need to know about Army recruitment scheme that has India on the boil

    Taking to Twitter, Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh said on Sunday, “Tomorrow lakhs of Congress workers across the country will continue peaceful protests against the anti-youth Agnipath scheme and against Modi government’s vendetta politics targeting its MP Rahul Gandhi.

    Schools closed in Jharkhand

    All schools in Jharkhand will remain closed on Monday. Security personnel have been deployed at various locations in Ranchi amid protests against the Army recruitment scheme.

    A total of 46,000 Agniveers will be recruited this year but a top military officer said it will go up to 1.25 lakhs in near future. The entry age for all new recruits in the Armed Forces has been fixed as 17.5 to 21 years of age.

    ALSO READ: Congress holds ‘Satyagraha’ at Jantar Mantar in solidarity with protesting youth

    However, following protests, the Central government announced an increase in the upper age limit for the recruitment of Agniveers from 21 years to 23 years for the recruitment cycle of 2022 as it has not been possible to undertake the recruitment during the last two years.

    Meanwhile, police in several states have announced measures and tightened security for June 20 protest. In Delhi’s neighbouring areas Faridabad and Noida, Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which prohibits the assembly of four or more persons, has been imposed.

    Uttar Pradesh Police said that strict action will be taken against those found involved in jeopardising peace.”Amid protests against Agnipath Scheme, anti-social elements may jeopardise peace. Section 144 imposed in Gautam Buddha Nagar and strict action will be taken against those found involved in such incidents,” said Ashutosh Dwivedi, ADCP, Law and Order, Noida.

    ALSO READ: Agnipath applicants will have to give undertaking they didn’t take part in protests, arson

    Punjab Police’s ADGP Law and Order has directed the CPs and SSPs across the state to be on alert and asked them to monitor the activities of social media groups which are actively mobilizing or spreading instigating information about the scheme.

    As a precautionary measure, all schools in Jharkhand will remain closed today in the wake of the protests called by certain organisations, the state education official informed on Sunday.

    All schools in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur will also remain shut, as per the order by the district administration.

    While the government points out that the ‘Agnipath’ scheme gives a golden opportunity to the youth to join the defence system and serve the country, Congress had said the recruitment policy is controversial, carries multiple risks, subverts the long-standing traditions and ethos of the armed forces and there is no guarantee that the soldiers recruited under the scheme will be better trained and motivated to defend the country.

    ALSO WATCH:

    Agniveers will be enrolled for a service duration of 4 years including the training period. After four years, only 25 per cent of the Agniveers will be retained or re-enlisted in the regular cadre based on merit, willingness and medical fitness. These 25 per cent Agniveers will then serve for a full term of another 15 years.

    As the protests continue, a senior Army officer on Sunday clarified that the scheme will not be rolled back and said that it is the “only progressive step to make the country young”.

    Meanwhile, the registration process for the first batch of Agniveers under the Centre’s newAgnipath recruitment scheme will begin on June 24 and the online examination would be held on July 24.

    ALSO READ: 35 WhatsApp groups banned by government for ‘spreading fake news’ about Agnipath scheme

    Congress has urged the government to keep the Agnipath scheme in abeyance, hold wide consultations with serving and retired officers, and address the issues of quality, efficiency and economy without compromising on any of the three considerations.

    Addressing the concerns over the future of Agniveers and their job security, the Centre approved a proposal to reserve 10 per cent of the job vacancies in the Ministry of Defence for Agniveers meeting requisite eligibility criteria and also decided to give priority to them in the recruitment of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles.

    Several state governments like Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Karnataka have announced to give Agniveers priority in state government jobs.

    Protests have disrupted rail services in several parts of the country. A total of 491 train services have been affected throughout the country due to the ongoing agitation, informed railway officials on Sunday.

  • Agnipath on: Draft notification on hires today; army to hold 83 recruitment rallies across country

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: With the general situation across the nation easing a tad after days of violent protests, the government fielded senior tri-services officers as well as from the defence ministry to rebut criticism, convey that the short-term Agnipath recruitment scheme was very much on, and to indicate a broad timeline of its rollout.

    Fielding questions at a press conference on whether the government proposed to review or roll back the scheme, Lt Gen Puri, additional secretary in the Department of Military Affairs, shot back, “No, why should there be a rollback?” 

    ALSO READ: 35 WhatsApp groups banned by government for ‘spreading fake news’ about Agnipath scheme

    He said the whole objective was reduce the average age of the personnel in uniform. “I will give you an example. Do you know how many casualties are reported just for health purposes from high altitude areas? Do read about it, then you would come to know why young is important,” he said.

    Putting the protesters on notice, Lt Gen Puri warned that they will find no place in the Agnipath scheme. “The Army’s foundation is discipline. There is no space for arson or vandalism. Every individual will give a certificate that they were not part of the protest or vandalism. Police verification is 100%; no one can join without that. If any FIR is lodged against them, they can’t join,” he said.

    ALSO READ: All you need to know about Army recruitment scheme that has India on the boil

    As for allowances, Agniveers will get them at par with regular soldiers. Also the family of any Agniveer sacrificing his/her life in the service of the nation will get compensation of Rs 1 crore. While many experts have wondered why the defence ministry did not see the need to run a pilot project to test the idea, Lt Gen Puri suggested the first batch of 46,000 hires was meant to do just that — analyse the outcome to tweak the scheme if needed.

    “In the next 4-5 years, our intake will be 50,000-60,000 and will increase to 90,000-1 lakh subsequently. We’ve started small at 46,000 to analyse the scheme…and to build up infra capacity. Our intake of Agniveers will go up to 1.25 lakh in the near future,” he said. Addressing the press meet, Air Marshal S K Jha said, “Agniveer batch 1 registration will start from June 24 and from July 24, phase 1 of the online examination process would start. Training would commence by December 30.” 

    ALSO READ: Congress holds ‘Satyagraha’ at Jantar Mantar in solidarity with protesting youth

    As for the Army, Lt Gen Bansi Ponappa said a draft notification on the hiring will be issued on Monday. In all, 83 recruitment rallies would be organised across the country. Vice Admiral Dinesh Tripathi said the first batch of naval recruits — both male and female — would join training  by November 21. In the first batch, 3,000 Agniveers will be inducted into the Navy, ofw whom 20% would be women, said sources.

    Mix of josh and hosh

    “We want a mix of josh and hosh. That is why we want to reduce the age profile. The average age is 32 years at present and we want to reduce it as per the recommendations of the Kargil review committee and Arun Singh committee report,” Lt Gen Puri said

    ALSO WATCH:

  • Release between service not permited: Army comes out with terms and conditions for Agnipath scheme

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Indian Army on Sunday released terms and conditions and related details for prospective applicants wanting to join the force under the Agnipath military recruitment scheme. The Army said that ‘Agniveers’ would form a distinct rank in the Indian Army that will be different from any other existing ranks and they can be posted to any regiment and unit.

    It said ‘Agniveers’ will be barred from disclosing classified information gained during the four-year service period to any unauthorised person or source under the Official Secrets Act, 1923. “With the introduction of this scheme, the enrolment of soldiers in the regular cadre of the Indian Army, except technical cadres of medical branch, will be available only to those personnel who have completed their engagement period as Agniveer,” the Army said.

    ALSO READ| Agnipath and the dark matter of democracy

    It said the release of an Agniveer at own request prior to completion of terms of engagement is not permitted. “However, in most exceptional cases, personnel enrolled under this scheme may be released, if sanctioned by the competent authority,” it said.

    The Agnipath scheme, announced on June 14, provides for the recruitment of youths between the age bracket of 17-and-half years to 21 for only four years with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for 15 more years.

    Later the government extended the upper age limit to 23 years for recruitment in 2022. The personnel to be recruited under the new scheme will be known as ‘Agniveers’. The Army said the new recruits will be subjected to the provisions of the Army Act, 1950 and will be liable to go wherever ordered by land, sea or air.

    The Army said a “distinctive insignia” will be worn by the ‘Agniveers’ on their uniform during their service period and that detailed instructions on it will be issued separately.

    The Army said that based on organisational requirements and policies, ‘Agniveers’, on completion of their engagement period in each batch, will be offered an opportunity to apply for enrolment in the regular cadre.

    ALSO READ| 35 WhatsApp groups banned for ‘spreading fake news’ about Agnipath scheme

    “These applications will be considered in a centralised manner by the Army based on objective criteria including performance during their engagement period and not more than 25 per cent of each specific batch of Agniveers will be enrolled in regular cadre post completion of their four-year engagement period,” according to the document released by the Army.

    “Agniveers so enrolled as regular cadre would be required to serve for a further engagement period of 15 years and will be governed by terms and conditions of service (of Junior Commissioned Officer/ Other Ranks) currently in vogue,” it said.

    The Army said the Agniveers will not have any right to be selected after completion of their four-year tenure. As part of the enrolment process, each ‘Agniveer’ will be required to formally accept all terms and conditions of the ‘Agnipath’ scheme.

    For personnel below the age of 18 years, the enrolment form will be required to be signed by the parents or guardians, according to the document. The ‘Agniveers’ will be eligible for 30 days leave in a year as against 90 days for those in regular service.

    Medical leave will be granted based on medical advice. The Army said 30 per cent of the monthly salary of the Agniveers will be compulsorily deposited in a corpus and an equal amount will be contributed by the government.

    “On completion of the tenure, the corpus of Rs 5.02 lakhs will be matched by the government of India and an amount of Rs 10.04 lakhs and accrued interest will be given to the Agniveers. In case of Agniveers who are subsequently selected for enrolment in the Indian Army as regular cadre, the Seva Nidhi package to be paid to them will comprise only their contribution including accrued interest thereon,” the Army said.

    “In the case of Agniveers exiting service before the end of their engagement period on their own request, the individual’s Seva Nidhi Package, accumulated as on date, will be paid with the applicable rate of interest. In such cases, no government contribution to Seva Nidhi Package will be entitled,” it said.

  • Army job aspirants protest against Agnipath scheme, block highway in Punjab

    By PTI

    RUPNAGAR/ CHANDIGARH: Army job aspirants took out protest marches against the Agnipath scheme in Rupnagar and Hoshiarpur districts of Punjab on Sunday and blocked vehicular traffic on the Chandigarh-Una national highway in Anandpur Sahib for an hour.

    Amid protests, police have been directed to monitor the situation very closely and take suitable preventive action to ensure peace.

    According to police, a group of youths from villages around Anandpur Sahib in Punjab’s Rupnagar district staged a protest, demanding the Army recruitment process to continue as earlier and immediate withdrawal of the Agnipath scheme.

    The protesters raised slogans against the BJP-led central government and blocked vehicular traffic on the Chandigarh-Una national highway in Anandpur Sahib for an hour. A heavy police deployment was made to prevent any untoward incident.

    ALSO READ| 35 WhatsApp groups for ‘spreading fake news’ about Agnipath scheme

    Another protest was held in Hoshiarpur district. Hundreds of aspirants took out a protest march from the Army ground to Mata Rani Chowk in Hoshiarpur district’s Mukerian and burnt effigy of the Union government to protest against the Agnipath scheme.

    There have been protests against the Agnipath scheme in many parts of Haryana and a few parts of Punjab in the past few days.

    In a communication to all police commissioners and senior superintendents of police (SSPs) from the Addl DGP (Law and Order), it has been stated that these protests are being mobilized through social media platforms, hence there is a need to activate social media cells and monitor activities of groups which are actively mobilizing or spreading instigating information about the scheme.

    The local police shall monitor the situation very closely and take suitable preventive action to ensure peace in the area. Offices and installations related to central government departments shall be strongly protected while security around other vital installations has to be strengthened.

    Senior police officers have been directed to personally involve themselves in monitoring these protests and remain stationed where the protesters gather. Commissioners of police and SSPs have been directed to tie-up with district magistrates for deployment of a duty magistrate.

    Local police may resort to take action as per law if anyone indulges in damage to public property, according to the communication.

    Police commissioners and SSPs shall remain in close contact with local central armed police forces commander and request them to keep their force on standby in case of response to any eventuality, it says.

    ALSO READ| Agnipath applicants will have to give undertaking they didn’t take part in protests, arson

    The central government on Tuesday unveiled the Agnipath scheme, under which youths between the age of 17-and-a-half and 21 years would be inducted in the Army, Navy and the Air Force for a four-year tenure.

    Twenty-five per cent of the recruits will be retained for regular service. The new scheme was projected by the government as a major overhaul of the decades-old selection process to enhance the youthful profile of the three services.

    On Thursday, the upper age limit was raised to 23 years for 2022 as protests against the new model for enrolment of soldiers into the three services spread. The announcement of the new scheme came in the backdrop of recruitments into the military remaining stalled for over two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

    In attempts to quell the protests, the home ministry on Saturday announced reserving 10 per cent vacancies in the central armed police forces and the Assam Rifles for ‘Agniveers’ and a three-year relaxation in the upper age limit.

    Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also approved a proposal to reserve 10 per cent of the job vacancies in the defence ministry for ‘Agniveers’ who meet requisite eligibility criteria.

  • Now we know what ‘Main Bhi Chowkidaar’ meant: Congress’ dig at Kailash Vijayvargiya’s remarks

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Sunday took a dig at the BJP over its leader Kailash Vijayvargiya’s remarks apparently suggesting that he will give priority to ‘Agniveers’ for security jobs at his party office, saying now “we know” what the BJP really meant when it launched the ‘Main Bhi Chowkidaar’ campaign in 2019.

    In a reference to the BJP leader’s remarks, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi, “One cannot expect those who did not hoist the tricolour for 52 years of independence to respect soldiers.”

    जिन्होंने आज़ादी के 52 सालों तक तिरंगा नहीं फहराया, उनसे जवानों के सम्मान की उम्मीद नहीं की जा सकती।युवा, सेना में भर्ती होने का जज़्बा, चौकीदार बन कर भाजपा कार्यालयों की रक्षा करने के लिए नहीं, देश की रक्षा के लिए रखते हैं।प्रधानमंत्री की चुप्पी इस बेइज़्ज़ती पर मोहर है।
    — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 19, 2022
    “The youth have a zeal to join the Army to protect the country and not for protecting BJP offices by becoming chowkidar,” the former Congress chief said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence was a “stamp of approval” on the insult.

    Amid protests over the Agnipath scheme for recruitment into the armed forces, the BJP general secretary said that if he has to hire the services of professionals to arrange security at the party office, he would give priority to those who have served as Agniveer soldiers.

    Tagging a screenshot of a media report on Vijayvargiya’s remarks, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “Now we know what the BJP really meant when they launched the campaign in 2019, ‘Main Bhi Chowkidaar’.”

    Now we know what the BJP really meant when they launched the campaign in 2019, ‘Main Bhi Chowkidaar’… pic.twitter.com/CE8pbcAfNg
    — Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 19, 2022
    On its officical Twitter handle, the Madhya Pradesh Congress said, “BJP general secretary insulting soldiers. Agniveer will become a watchman outside the BJP office. Mr. Modi, this was the mentality we were afraid of — shameless government.”

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    Addressing a press conference at the BJP office in Indore, Vijayvargiya made the remarks while defending the Centre’s Agnipath scheme. “In Army training, first is discipline and second is following orders. He will undergo training and when he comes out after four years of service, he would have Rs 11 lakh in his hand. And he would also walk around with the badge of Agniveer on his chest,” Vijayvargiya said.

    He went on to say, “If I have to have security (personnel) here in this BJP office, I will give priority to Agniveer.” His remarks were shared on social media by many who criticised him for it. The government had last Tuesday announced the Agnipath scheme and those recruited under it will be called ‘Agniveer’.

    In his statement later, Vijayvargiya alleged that people associated with “toolkit” were twisting his remarks to insult “karmveer”. The country is aware of the toolkit gang’s conspiracies, the BJP leader said.