Agnipath protests: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh meets high brass of Army, Navy and IAF

By PTI

NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday held a gathering with the highest brass of the Army, Navy and the Air Force on the general scenario arising out of the rollout of the ‘Agnipath’ navy recruitment scheme as protests towards it intensified in a number of elements of the nation.

The assembly was attended by Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and Vice Chief of Army Staff Gen B S Raju.

It is learnt that the main target of the assembly was to make sure a fast rollout of the ‘Agnipath’ scheme and methods to pacify the agitators. Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande couldn’t attend the assembly as he’s in Hyderabad on an official tour.

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The Army, Navy and the Air Force on Friday introduced to start out the enrolment course of beneath the brand new mannequin by subsequent week.

Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari informed PTI that the choice course of by the Indian Air Force for recruitment beneath the brand new scheme will begin from June 24 whereas the Army mentioned it would start the preliminary train inside two days.

While the Indian Navy mentioned it would begin the recruitment course of “very soon”, a senior naval commander mentioned the notification for the recruitment can be out inside per week.

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The three companies are planning to deploy the primary batches of recruits beneath the brand new scheme each in operational and non-operational roles by June subsequent 12 months, senior navy officers mentioned.

In an try to pacify the protesters, the federal government on Thursday night time elevated the higher age restrict for recruitment beneath the ‘Agnipath’ scheme to 23 years from 21 for the 12 months 2022.

Unveiling the scheme on Tuesday, the federal government mentioned youths between the ages of 17 and-a-half and 21 years can be inducted for a four-year tenure whereas 25 per cent of them might be subsequently inducted for normal service.

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The youths to be recruited beneath the brand new scheme can be known as ‘Agniveer’. A serious goal of the scheme is to deliver down the common age of navy personnel and lower ballooning wage and pension payments.

The announcement of the brand new scheme got here within the backdrop of recruitments into the navy remaining stalled over the coronavirus pandemic for over two years.

The Army yearly recruit 50,000 to 60,000 troopers yearly. However, the recruitment couldn’t happen for the final two years as a result of COVID-19 pandemic.