Agnipath is an all-Indian programme for recruiting soldiers, pilots, and sailors that is based on merit.
In response to the “Agnipath” recruiting initiative, the Indian Air Force (IAF) reported receiving 7.5 lakh applications on Tuesday. The registration period for the programme started on June 24 and closed on Tuesday.
After the plan was announced on June 14, violent protests against it erupted in numerous states for over a week, and opposition parties demanded its repeal.
Under the Agnipath programme, individuals between the ages of 17 and a half and 21 would be enlisted for a four-year tenure in the armed services, with 25% of them thereafter being enlisted for regular duty.
The government announced a number of measures to appease the public on June 16, including a preference for “Agniveers” in central paramilitary forces and defence public sector undertakings upon retirement. The government also increased the upper age limit for recruitment under the scheme from 21 to 23 years old for the year 2022.
Lt. Gen. Anil Puri, Additional Secy, Dept. of Military Affairs, MoD, had reiterated on June 19 that the initiative will not be taken back and that it is the “only progressive step to make the country young” in spite of protests.
Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons
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