Image Credit: Facebook/Narendra Modi, Facebook/Rajnath Singh and Twitter/NikhilaHenry (Representational)
India
Agnipath Scheme: Govt Raises Entry Age Limit As 'One-Time Waiver' Amid Violent Protests
|The Centre's new 'Agnipath' recruitment scheme, unveiled earlier in the week, has sparked violent protests all over India— from Gurugram to Bihar — with agitating aspirants calling for its rollback.
The central government, on June 16, decided to increase the upper entry age limit for recruitment under the new Agnipath military scheme from 21 years to 23 years, amid massive ongoing protests all over the country. The Centre said that the age relaxation would be given only once for the proposed 2022 recruitment cycle.
In an official release, the Centre said, "Cognizant of the fact that it has not been possible to undertake the recruitment during the last two years, the government has decided that a one-time waiver shall be granted for the proposed recruitment cycle for 2022. Accordingly, the upper age limit for the recruitment process for the Agnipath scheme for 2022 is increased to 23 years."
Outrage Against Agnipath Scheme
The Indian government's newly launched 'Agnipath' recruitment scheme, unveiled earlier in the week, has sparked violent protests all over India— from Gurugram to Bihar — with agitating aspirants calling for its rollback. The Agnipath scheme suggested hiring Indian youth between the age bracket 17.5 years and 21 years to take up jobs in the Indian armed forces for four years.
Massive protest by youths preparing for army recruitment in Muzaffarpur in protest against #Agnipath_scheme. (abusive language) pic.twitter.com/ScYBCkDp1M
— Rajesh Beniwal (@B50421953Rajesh) June 15, 2022
Furthermore, the upper entry age limit of 21 years was among the numerous issues raised by the agitating aspirants raised against the new army recruitment scheme.
Under Agnipath, after mandatory retirement after four years, the Centre plans to involve the youth in civilian jobs. But, this move was massively criticised by job aspirants and the opposition.
Protests at Secunderabad railway station against the new Agnipath recruitment scheme for soldiers. The protesters are demanding that the scheme be scrapped. @TheQuint pic.twitter.com/1LJXl0KWLY
— Nikhila Henry (@NikhilaHenry) June 17, 2022
Centre Seeks To Allay Concerns
On the back of wide-ranging protests, government officials on June 16 sought to ease the concerns raised over the financial security of those inducted into the scheme. According to officials, 'Agniveers' will have many options after completing their tenure with the armed forces, such as further studies, entrepreneurship and priority in other jobs.
"Those wishing to be entrepreneurs — they will get a financial package and bank loan scheme. Those wishing to study further will be given a class 12 equivalent certificate and bridging course for further studies. Those wishing to obtain jobs will be given priority in CAPFs and state police. Several avenues are also being opened up for them in other sectors," a senior government official was quoted as saying by News18.
This scheme, which is set to replace the existing processes for recruitment into the Indian Air Force (IAF), Navy and Army, was unveiled on June 14 by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and was touted as "transformational". Recruitment rallies to the services are set to begin within 90 days.