News Analysis India

Tag: Agniveer

  • BJP has ‘broken’ dream of lakhs of youth: Rahul Gandhi on Agnipath

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Attacking the BJP over the ‘Agnipath’ scheme, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said the ruling party has “broken the dream” of lakhs of youth to serve the country and asserted that a storm will rise from their tears that will break Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “arrogance of power”.

    Taking to Twitter, Gandhi posted a video of a young man in tears expressing anguish over having lost the chance to join the armed forces.

    “There has not been any recruitment in the armed forces for the last two years. 2018-19: 53,431; 2019-20: 80,572; 2020-21: 0; 2021-22: 0,” the former Congress chief said.

    “By bringing ‘Agniveers’ on a four-year contract, the BJP has broken the dream of lakhs of youth to serve the nation. Such a storm will rise from these tears that will destroy the arrogance of power of the prime minister,” Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

    Addressing Congress parliamentarians and legislators from across the country who converged at the party headquarters here on Wednesday to express solidarity with him after he was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate, Gandhi had alleged that the BJP government “which calls itself nationalist” was “weakening” the armed forces through the ‘Agnipath’ scheme.

    He had also said Modi will have to withdraw the military recruitment initiative just like he rolled back the farm laws.

    Several parts of the country witnessed protests after the announcement of the scheme that seeks to recruit 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.

    For 2022, the upper age limit has been extended to 23 years.

  • Will guarantee jobs to ‘Agniveers’ from Haryana post 4 year stint: Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: The Haryana government will provide “guaranteed” employment to ‘Agniveers’ after their four year stint in the armed forces, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced on Tuesday.

    His statement comes even as the state, like several other parts of the country, is witnessing massive protests over the Centre’s Agnipath scheme to recruit soldiers into the army, navy and the air force followed by compulsory retirement for most without gratuity and pension benefits.

    Addressing a state-level International Yoga Day function at Bhiwani, Khattar said, “I announce that anyone (the Agniveers) who wants to join Haryana government services, they will be given a guaranteed job, no one will go without a job. We take guarantee for this.” The chief minister said the ‘Agniveers’ will be absorbed in the state’s Group C services and in the police force.

    The Centre had last Tuesday unveiled the Agnipath scheme under which youths between 17-and-a-half and 21 years will be inducted in the three services for a four-year tenure. Twenty-five per cent of the recruits will be retained for regular service.

    The government projected this scheme as a major overhaul of the decades-old selection process to enhance the youthful profile of the services.

    On Thursday, it relaxed the upper age limit to 23 years for recruitment this year as protests against the scheme intensified.

  • Anand Mahindra trolled for Agniveer tweet

    By Express News Service

    BENGALURU: Industrialist Anand Mahindra on Monday tweeted, “Saddened by the violence around the #Agneepath program. When the scheme was mooted last year, I stated-& I repeat-the discipline & skills Agniveers gain will make them eminently employable. The Mahindra Group welcomes the opportunity to recruit such trained, capable young people.’’

    Soon after his tweet, he was trolled on social media by many who asked what sort of jobs he would provide them. Many former defence officers, including a former Navy chief, asked how many persons from the services he had recruited so far.

    As the issue raged on social media, Biocon Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar Shaw tweeted, “I firmly believe that Agniveers will have a distinct advantage in recruitment in the industrial job market.”

  • Army issues notification for Agnipath recruitments, online registration to begin in July

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Army on Monday issued a notification for induction of soldiers under the Agnipath military recruitment scheme.

    The Army said the online registration on the force’s recruitment website is mandatory for all the job aspirants under the new model.

    It said the online registration will commence in July.

    The Army said ‘Agniveers’ would form a distinct rank in the Indian Army, which would be different from any other existing ranks.

    In a detailed note on the scheme, the Army last night 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 that personnel who have completed their engagement period as Agniveer,” it said.

    The Army said the release of an Agniveer at their 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.

    Protests have erupted in several states against the Centre’s scheme.

    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.

    It 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 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.

    “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.

  • Modi government announces concession to Agniveers amidst the continued protests across the country

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Stung by the continuing violent protests against the Agnipath recruitment scheme for the armed forces, the ministries of Defence and Home, along with others, today announced concessions for Agniveers, indicating that the government will press ahead with the move by assuaging a wide cross-section of aspirants.

    While the Union Home Ministry announced that 10 per cent vacancies in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles would be reserved for Agniveers, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved a similar proposal for Agniveers once they complete their initial four-year tenure in the armed forces.

    To be implemented in the Indian Coast Guard and defence civilian posts and “all the 16 Defence public sector undertakings”, this will be in addition to an existing reservation for ex-servicemen. The Defence Minister’s Office announced that “necessary age relaxation provision will also be made”.

    The concessions by the two ministries come close on the heels of the government’s “one-time” relaxation in the upper age limit for aspirants for the armed forces this year, raising it from 21 to 23, especially when there has been no recruitment drive for the last two years. When the Agnipath scheme was announced on June 14, aspirants between 17-and-a-half and 21 years of age were eligible for recruitment.

    The MHA also decided to “give three years age relaxation beyond the prescribed upper age limit to Agniveers for recruitment to CAPFs and Assam Rifles”. Besides this, “for the first batch of Agniveers, the age relaxation will be for five years beyond the prescribed upper age limit”.

    In addition to the MoD and MHA, the states of Karnataka, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Assam announced a preference to Agniveers in state police recruitment.

    “The state police forces will greatly benefit from the training and discipline inculcated to Agniveers by the armed forces and their capabilities in tackling insurgency, Naxalism and natural disasters will be hugely augmented.” said the government in a press release.

    As per the government, several corporate houses and industry bodies have welcomed the new and transformative recruitment process for the armed forces. “The well-trained, disciplined and technologically savvy youth who finish their service to the armed forces will be a valuable asset to their organizations, they said.

    Apart from customized certificates, a bachelor’s programme by the Indira Gandhi national Open University has also been planned for the Agniveers.

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

    The government said that financial institutions will extend support. In order to identify ways in which the Banks and Financial Institutions can support the Agniveers on completion of their tenure of duty, the Secretary, Department of Financial Services (DFS) held a meeting with Chief Executives of Public Sector Banks (PSBs), Public Sector Insurance Companies (PSICs) and Financial Institutions (FIs).

    “In the meeting, it was decided that PSBs, PSICs and FIs would explore employment opportunities for Agniveers in suitable capacities based on their educational qualifications and skills through suitable benefits/relaxations, etc.”

    Amidst these announcements, the procession and protests continued across the country.

    While Congress leader Rahul Gandhi demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi roll back of the Agnipath scheme, APP MP Raghav Chadha wrote to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, calling for a similar step and “redeliberation” over the new recruitment move.

    Congress MPs, the party’s working committee members and AICC office-bearers will be on a ‘satyagraha’ sit-in at Jantar Mantar here on June 19 in solidarity with youth protesting against the Agniveer scheme.

    However, violent protests continued unabated across eight states, with angry youth taking to the streets, burning vehicles and damaging public property, including railway bogies, at Danapur in Patna district and Jehanabad in Bihar, while normal life was affected in Buxar and Gaya.

    A Rashtriya Janata Dal-supported 24-hour bandh by the All India Students’ Association (AISA) has been called across the state in protest against the Agnipath scheme.

    A mob blocked a highway in UP’s Jaunpur where the angry youth torched a UPSRTC bus. The UP police has registered six FIRs in four districts and arrested 260 protestors so far.

    In Delhi, one person was arrested and 18 others detained for protesting against the scheme.

    Hundreds of protestors blocked train tracks in Telangana, where one person died in police firing at Secunderabad on June 17, as well as West Bengal where train services on the Sealdah-Barrackpore segment in North 24 Parganas were disrupted for about an hour.

    Several hundred youths gathered at Thampanoor, in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, before marching to the Raj Bhavan while raising slogans against the Centre.

    While the government is firm on rolling out the Agnipath scheme, the home ministry’s concession, announced over Tweets by Home Minister Amit Shah’s office, said that the 10 percent reservation for vacancies in the CAPFs and Assam Rifles would be applicable for those complete four years under the Agnipath scheme.

  • ‘Youth anguished, don’t hold celebrations on my birthday’: Rahul to Congress workers

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has appealed to party leaders and workers not to celebrate his birthday on Sunday.

    In a message to them, he said the youngsters of the country are anguished and are protesting on the streets and the Congress workers should stand with them.

    Gandhi turns 52 on Sunday.

    In a message that was posted on Twitter by All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh, Gandhi said the atmosphere in the country is worrisome.

    “The youth are anguished. We should stand with them and their families at this time,” the former Congress chief said, referring to the protests in several parts of the country against the “Agnipath’ scheme for military recruitment.

    “I appeal to all Congress workers and my well wishers across the country not to hold any kind of celebrations on the occasion of my birthday,” he said.

    “The prevailing circumstances in the country are worrying. Crores of youth are anguished. We should share the pain of the youth and their families and stand with them,” Gandhi said in his appeal to his party colleagues.

  • Kolkata: Police arrest anti-Agnipath demonstrators near CM Mamata’s home

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Police on Saturday afternoon clashed with agitating members of the All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO) and All India Democratic Youth Organisation (AIDYO) when they tried to block roads protesting against the Centre’s ‘Agnipath’ scheme in the southern part of the city’s Hazra area, a hundred metres from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence.

    Protesting the scheme, the activists demanded that recruits into India’s armed forces be given permanent jobs rather than be taken in under the “Agnipath” scheme which employs a soldier on a contract for four years.

    A huge police force led by senior officers cleared the area, arresting over 20 activists.

    “We will not allow anyone to disturb the law and order here. We will deal with such kinds of attempts very strictly,” the police officer commanding the deployment said.

    All police stations in the city and the districts of West Bengal have been alerted and asked to keep tight vigil on areas under their jurisdiction to avoid any untoward incident, he said.

    The Centre on Tuesday unveiled ‘Agnipath’ scheme for the recruitment in the Army, Navy and the Air Force, in a major overhaul of the decades-old selection process.

    Protestors continued to target railway properties in Bihar and West Bengal on Saturday to vent their ire against the scheme disrupting train services in the eastern region for the fourth day in a row, while demonstrations were held on roads in Odisha and Jharkhand.

    Job aspirants also did push-ups on a road in Bihar capital Patna and on railway tracks in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas, while one youth ran 60 kilometres in Odisha’s Nabarangpur as marks of their opposition to the ‘Agnipath’ short-term recruitment scheme.

    In Bihar, protestors torched the Taregana railway station in Patna district and a GRP vehicle while several law enforcers were injured in stone-throwing in Jehanabad when a bandh was also called to press for the demand for rollback of the new scheme for recruitment in armed forces.

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

    They also exchanged gunshots with GRP personnel, engaged in heavy stone-pelting and beat up journalists covering the clash.

    In Danapur sub-division, bandh supporters vandalised an ambulance and the driver alleged that a patient and attendants inside were also beaten up by the mob.

    The ECR headquarters in Hajipur said that in view of the prevailing situation, 32 trains have been cancelled.

    The railways have suffered massive losses in Bihar during protests in the last three days.

    More than 60 train coaches, 10 engines and some stations have been torched by groups protesting against the introduction of the new recruitment system wherein 75 per cent of jawans will be retired after four years of service, with no pension benefits.

    Bandh supporters had attacked a police outpost in Jehanabad district, leaving several police personnel injured.

    A large police contingent was deployed in front of the state headquarters of the BJP, which has been at the receiving end of the protests, with many of its senior leaders having been physically attacked and its offices in at least three districts being set ablaze since Thursday.

    In West Bengal, train services on the Sealdah-Barrackpore route in North 24 Parganas district were disrupted for around an hour as a group of anti-Agnipath agitators blocked railway tracks and did push-ups.

    Around 20 protesters blocked both up and down lines at a level crossing from around 10 AM thus also affecting vehicular traffic, a spokesperson of the Eastern Railway said.

    The demonstration affected railway services during office hours, and many commuters waiting at Barrackpore station reached the protest site and an altercation ensued with the agitators.

    The police on Saturday afternoon clashed with agitating members of the All India Democratic Students Organisation and All India Democratic Youth Organisation when they tried to block roads near Kolkata’s Hazra area, a hundred metres from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence.

    In Odisha, a job aspirant ran 60 km in Nabarangpur while a large number of agitators sat in dharna near the revenue divisional commissioner’s office in Berhampur in Ganjam district.

    The agitators including many who cleared the physical tests held earlier, raised slogans at Berhampur demanding withdrawal of the ‘Agnipath’ scheme and demanded at least 15 years of service in the Armed Forces instead of four after selection.

    East Coast Railways has cancelled or short terminated several trains passing through Odisha from Visakhapatnam in view of the protests.

    In Jharkhand, demonstrations were held at Dhanbad and Morabadi in Ranchi while security was intensified in the state BJP headquarters with the deployment of RAF personnel, officials said.

  • Agnipath protest: Police vehicle, roadways buses torched in UP’s Jaunpur; nine coaching institute operators among 35 arrested in Aligarh

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: A police vehicle was torched and two Uttar Pradesh Roadways buses vandalised in Jaunpur as the agitation against the Centre’s Agnipath scheme spread in the state.

    Meanwhile, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers protested in Meerut over the issue.

    As many as 340 people have been arrested till now, including those who have been taken in custody as a preventive measure.

    In Kannauj, youths staged a protest at Saurikh on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway demanding the withdrawal of the scheme.

    Jaunpur District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma said hundreds of youths gathered on the Jaunpur-Prayagraj highway on Saturday morning and damaged vehicles, including two roadways buses and a police car.

    Around 9.30 am, one of the damaged buses and the police vehicle were set ablaze.

    Some motorcycles were also torched in the Lal Bazar area, he said, adding the protesters were chased by police.

    According to Superintendent of Police Ajay Sahni, the protesters resorted to stone-pelting and a vehicle of a local BJP leader was damaged.

    Varanasi Divisional Commissioner Deepak Agarwal and Inspector General K Satyanarayan inspected the spot.

    Officials said the protesters are being identified and if needed, the Gangster Act may be imposed against them.

    Police force has been deployed at the railway and bus stations.

    In Kannauj, youths protested at Saurikh on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway and handed over a memorandum to officials.

    Additional District Magistrate Gajendra Singh said the protesters were sent back after explaining the Agnipath scheme to them.

    Leaders of the Rashtriya Lok Dal and Aam Aadmi Party staged protests in Meerut and demanded that the recruitment scheme for defence services be withdrawn.

    As many as 340 people have been arrested and police have lodged 29 FIRs in connection with the protest till Saturday, Additional Director General (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said.

    The number included 145 those who have been arrested as a preventive measure under Section 151 of the CrPC.

    “They can be kept in police custody for a maximum of 24 hours,” explained Kumar.

    The arrests have been made from nine districts, including Ballia (109), Mathura (70), Jaunpur (41), Varanasi (36), Aligarh (35).

    The 29 cases have lodged in 12 districts, the maximum seven in Jaunpur (7), four cases each in Aligarh, Mathura and Varanasi and two cases each in Ballia Mirzapur.

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

    A case each have also been lodged in Gorakhpur, Deoria, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Chandauli, Agra and Firozabad.

    Police in Aligarh have so far taken around 80 people in custody in connection with the violent protests in the district, officials said on Saturday.

    Of those held since the protests on Friday, 35 people, including nine operators of coaching institutes, were arrested for their role in the violence, Aligarh Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kalanidhi Naithani said.

    “Four FIRs have been registered under serious charges of the Indian Penal Code in connection with the violence during the protests in the district. Two of these FIRs have been lodged on complaint by police personnel, one by the UP roadways and another by a civilian,” Naithani said.

    “Efforts for arresting those engaged in violence had started on Friday itself. So far, around 80 people have been taken into custody,” he said.

    Police are keeping a close eye on social media and the role of the nine operators of the coaching institutes emerged during the protest by youngsters, the IPS officer said.

    “The coaching operators had provoked the anti-social elements and triggered to carry out such acts during the protests amidst the (armed forces) aspirants,” Naithani said.

    The other people in police custody are being questioned and further action will be taken on the basis of evidence in the case, he said.

    He said the law and order situation which had taken a hit due to the protests on Friday remained under control on Saturday as police conducted flag marches in view of the tense condition.

    Police are conducting peace meetings and also taking support of prominent people in maintaining an atmosphere of calm in Aligarh, the officer added.

  • Plea in SC for SIT probe into violent protests against Agnipath scheme, damage to properties

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: A PIL has been filed in the Supreme 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 PIL has been filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari, who also sought directions to the Centre and Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Haryana and Rajasthan governments to submit a status report on the violent protests.

    Tiwari in his plea also sought a direction to set up an expert committee under the chairmanship of retired apex court judge to examine the scheme and its impact on national security and Army.

    He further sought directions to the Centre and the states arrayed as parties to appoint claim commissioners under the guidelines laid down by the apex court in its verdict of 2009 passed in a suo motu case initiated after incidents of damages to public properties.

    “The petitioner through this present Public Interest Litigation (Civil) under Article 32 of the Constitution of India would like to bring to the court’s attention the devastated condition of the country resulting from the Agnipath scheme launched by the Respondent No. 1 (Union of India) through its Ministry of Defence,” the plea said.

    It said that the consequence has been far-reaching for the citizens of this country resulting in intensified vandalism and protest leading to severe destruction of public property and goods.

    “The country is yet again witnessing another such societal upset and fatal condition due to the recent launch of the Agnipath scheme dated June 14, 2022 by the Respondent No.1 through its Ministry of Defence. The Agnipath scheme was designed for the recruitment of young personnel in the all three armed forces divisions. It is a scheme which entails a recruitment process for individuals with ranks below that of the officer with the goal of deploying fitter and younger troops on the front lines which will be based on a four year contract,” it said.

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

    The plea said that since the launch of the scheme, the country is facing severe and uncontrolled mass violence and protests against the scheme.

    “The concern which rises through this scheme is primarily the length of service that is 4 years is not reasonable and there remains no pension benefits. The defence aspirants during their protests have alleged that this Agnipath scheme leads to a road of uncertainty for soldiers who will have to leave the services after 4 years. After the completion of the 4 years contract, 25 percent of the total force will be retained and the rest of the personnel will have to leave which puts a serious uncertainty on their future,” it said.

    It added that along with no job security and protection, there will be no pension benefits including the disability pension, the soldiers will get a lump sum of a little more than Rs 11 lakh when they end their fourth tenure.

    “As opined by various experienced military veterans, this scheme of contractual fixed recruitment could compromise on training, morale and commitment in comparison to the permanent recruits. Such experimental radical change in the structure and pattern of the military can lead to severe strategic uncertainties which could compromise the national security of the country,” it said.

    The petition said that this issue have led to severe protest in various parts of the country and as the agitation intensified in Bihar on June 17, the angry aspirants of Army has set fire to at least 20 bogies of the New Delhi-Bhagalpur Vikramshila Express and New Delhi-Darbhanga Bihar Sampark Kranti Express at Lakhisarai and Samastipur stations and blocked several highways of the state.

    “The intensity of such protest has been hard-hitting as the consequence has resulted in Eastern Central Railway has cancelled 164 trains, the official reports have also confirmed that a large number of passengers were seen stranded on the different railway stations including Patna Junction, people are also standing in bus terminals waiting for buses as the highways are also blocked due to the protest,” the plea said.

  • ‘Army to get its Agniveers by mid-2023’: Army Chief on new recruitment scheme

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Amidst the announcement of a new recruitment scheme leading to violence at multiple places in the country the armed forces have announced initiating the process to induct the first batches of Agniveers.

    Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Friday said, “Training of first Agniveers will begin in December 2022, active service to commence in middle of 2023”

    Talking about the process to expand the recruitment base, “The decision of the Government has been received to grant a one-time waiver, increasing the entry age of recruitment to 23 years, for the recruitment cycle of 2022.” Pande said.

    The COVID-19 pandemic had led to virtual halt on inductions. While the Army recruited jawans in 2019-2020, and there has been no entrance since then. On the other hand the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force have both recruited in the previous two years.

    Sources in the Army confirmed that a notification regarding the Agnipath recruitment will be issued in two days.

    Speaking on the issue Air Force Chief Air Chief marshal VR Chaudhari said, “I am pleased to inform that the upper age limit for the first induction has been increased to 23 years,” and “This change would permit a larger section of the youth to enrol Agniveer. The selection process for the Air Force will start from Jun 24,” he said.

    The government recently announced the Agnipath Scheme under which the youth will be inducted into the Armed Forces initially for four years. Once the four year service is over all of them will leave and a re-induction process will be held to take in 25 percent from them to serve as permanent cadre of the forces. As per the government aim of the scheme is to make the military youthful.

    It is since then that protests against the scheme started.

    Speaking on the matter Admiral R. Hari Kumar said, “I didn’t anticipate any protests like this. We worked on the Agnipath scheme for almost a year & half…It’s single biggest Human Resources Management transformation in Indian military…Protests are happening due to misinformation and misunderstanding of the scheme”

    According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence on Tuesday, the Agnipath initiative is intended to help the Armed Forces maintain a young profile. It will provide young people who want to wear the uniform a chance by recruiting young talent from the society who are more in sync with current technology trends and returning skilled, disciplined, and motivated personnel to society.

    “This decision will provide an opportunity for many of our young, energetic and patriotic youth who, despite the COVID pandemic, were preparing to join the recruitment rallies, which couldn’t be completed in the last two years due COVID restrictions.” The Army Chief said.