Saddened by the violence around the Agnipath scheme, Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra on june 20 announced to recruit “trained and capable” Agniveers.
“Saddened by the violence around the Agneepath program. When the scheme was mooted last year I stated and I repeat, the discipline and skills Agniveers gain will make them eminently employable. The Mahindra Group welcomes the opportunity to recruit such trained, capable young people,” Anand said tweeted.
Following the announcement of the Agnipath scheme, which allows Indian youths to serve in the regular cadre of the Armed Forces for four years, on June 14, protests erupted in a number of states, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand, and Assam. As the agitation grew in some areas, protestors went on the rampage, torching trains, torching vehicles, and destroying both private and public property.
46,000 Agniveers will be recruited in 2022
A total of 46,000 Agniveers will be recruited in 2022, 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.
Agnipath scheme provide youth with opportunity to serve the country
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. Agniveers will be enrolled for 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.
Progressive step to make the country young
As the protests continue, a senior Army officer on June 19 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 new Agnipath recruitment scheme will begin on June 24 and the online examination would be held on July 24.
Agniveers will be given priority in govt. jobs
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.
Also Read: Why India needs ‘Agnipath’ and ‘Agniveers’
