Vikramshila Express train set on fire by a mob in protest against the Centre's 'Agnipath' scheme, in Lakhisarai, Friday, June 17, 2022. (PTI Photo)Agnipath Scheme: A youngster died and several others were injured after shots were fired on hundreds of protesters at Secunderabad railway station on Friday morning as agitations against the Centre’s new Agnipath scheme for recruiting soldiers across the three services escalated into large-scale violence and arson. In Bihar, internet services were temporarily suspended in 12 districts — Kaimer, Bhojpur, Aurangabad, Rohtas, Buxer, Nawada, West Champaran, Samastipur, Lakhisarai, Begusarai, Vaishali and Saran districts till June 19, after protesters there turned violent and targeted the houses of Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Renu Devi and Bihar BJP president and West Champaran MP Dr Sanjay Jaiwwal.
Railway services were disrupted across the country as protesters blocked tracks and set train coaches ablaze in several states such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Telangana. Anticipating violence in the state, the Haryana government has suspended internet services in Faridabad district’s Ballabgarh, whereas prohibitory orders under Section 144, restricting gathering of more than four persons, have been imposed in Gurgaon, the police said.
Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi Friday hit out at the Centre over the Agnipath scheme. Rahul Gandhi tweeted that Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi does not understand what the country wants, listing out initiatives by the central government that were “rejected” by the people. “He can’t hear anything except the voice of his ‘friends’,” Rahul said. Meanwhile, Priyanka asked PM Modi to withdraw the scheme immediately. She added that the government had changed its rules for the Agnipath recruitment plan in less than 24 hours, indicating that it is being imposed on the youth in a hurry.
Aspirants protest outside the Army Recruitment Office in Ranchi on Thursday. (Photo: PTI)
As violent protests against the Agnipath recruitment scheme continued across the country for the second day on Friday, a youth from Telangana became the first casualty, killed in police firing in Secunderabad.
The protests were most violent in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, where protesters set ablaze a train, buses and a police outpost, and NDA-ruled Bihar, where the houses of state BJP president Dr Sanjay Jaiswal and Deputy Chief Minister Renu Devi were targeted and several coaches of at least 14 trains were set on fire.
Protests were also reported from other states including Haryana, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh. Read more
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday demanded an immediate rollback of the Centre's Agnipath scheme, calling it an insult to the Army and a loss for the state's youth.
"After stopping recruitment to the Army for two years, the Centre's new diktat is that stay in the Army for four years and then don't get pension," said Mann in a Hindi tweet as protests razed across states for the third day against the scheme.
"This is an insult to the Army. It is a cheating with the youth of the country," he said demanding an immediate rollback of the decision. (PTI)
TRS Working President and Minister for IT and Industries KT Rama Rao on Friday demanded the Centre to review the 'Agnipath' scheme, alleging that the NDA government has taken a unilateral decision on it.
In a statement issued here, the Minister alleged that the scheme is “killing” the aspirations of millions of youth who want to join the armed forces and serve the nation.
Demanding that the Centre take complete responsibility for the protests taking place across the nation, he said the NDA government has reduced the army from 'one rank-one pension' to 'no rank-no pension.' “The BJP government at the Centre has played with the lives of farmers with draconian farm laws and is now adversely affecting the soldiers with schemes like Agnipath,” he charged. (PTI)
Over 300 trains have been affected and more than 200 cancelled so far due to protests against the Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the defence services, the Railways said on Friday. It said that 94 mail and express trains and 140 passenger trains have been cancelled due to the protests, while 65 mail and express and 30 passenger trains were partially cancelled.
The Railways has also diverted 11 mail and express trains. The total number of trains affected so far stands at 340, officials said.
According to the last statement by the zonal railways, 164 trains were cancelled in the East Central Railways (ECR), 34 in North Eastern Railways (NER), 13 in Northern Railways (NR) and around three in Northeast Frontier Railways. (PTI)
Internet services have been suspended in 12 districts of Bihar till June 19 amid violent protests against Centre's Agnipath scheme.
The protests against Centre’s Agnipath scheme reached Assam with about 100-150 youths gathering at a stadium at Assam’s Jorhat on Friday morning. However, police said the situation did not get “out of control” and the demonstration was short-lived. “The protestors were planning to move towards the Army Recruitment Office in Jorhat but after the police intervened, they did not move ahead,” said Jorhat SP Mohan Meena, adding that the protestors were sloganeering for a few of hours.
After Palwal and Ballabgarh, Haryana govt on Friday ordered suspension of mobile internet and SMS services for next 24 hours in Mahendragarh in the wake of violent protests against Agnipath recruitment scheme.
Congress MP K C Venugopal writes to Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence chairperson requesting to convene an urgent meeting to discuss in detail the scheme with all stakeholders and defence experts.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday hit out at PM Modi asking him to ‘stop hiding behind military chiefs’ and ‘have the guts to take ownership’ of his ‘reckless’ decision.
Amid widespread protests against the Agnipath scheme which have largely affected train services with protesters blocking tracks and setting fire to railway coaches, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw appealed to the youth to not indulge in violent protests and refrain from damaging Railways property.
In an attempt to quell the anger of the protesting youth across the country, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday that the government’s decision to give a one-time, two-year relaxation in the upper age limit for recruitment in the armed forces under the new Agnipath scheme shows that the government cares for the youth.
He said that the government has announced “a one-time upper age limit relaxation for the recruitment process through Agnipath scheme for 2022 to 23 years” and this “indicates that the government cares for our youth”.
As protests against the government’s new recruitment policy for the armed forces continue unabated, Army Chief General Manoj Pande welcomed the government’s decision for the age relaxation. The decision to allow youth up to age of 23 years to be eligible under the scheme this year as recruitments had been stalled since 2020 was announced late on Thursday evening. Read more
In Telangana, one protester lost his life while several others were injured, after the police allegedly opened fire on a mob at Secunderabad railway station as protests against the Agnipath scheme escalated into large-scale violence and arson.
Following violence and arson at Secunderabad Railway Station on Friday which left at least one dead and several others injured, the Hyderabad metro rail services were cancelled for the day. Security has also been increased at other railway stations, with police with riot gear being deployed at all stations.
All gates of the Delhi Metro's ITO station are closed, the DMRC said Friday as members of the Left-affiliated All India Students' Association protested against the Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the armed forces and demanded its rollback.
The AISA also demonstrated against police action on those protesting against the Agnipath scheme.
"All gates of ITO Metro Station are closed," the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation tweeted around 12.40 pm as the protest escalated and some members of the student organisation were detained.
The entry and exit gates of some other metro stations including Delhi Gate and Jama Masjid were also briefly closed, the DMRC said. (PTI)
The vehicular traffic on the Pathankot-Jammu and Jammu-Poonch highways got disrupted on Friday as aspirants continued holding demonstrations against the Central government’s new recruitment policy for defence forces, Agnipath, for the second day in Jammu. -- ENS inputs
In Varanasi, two roadways buses were vandalized by youths protesting against the Agnipath scheme.
A police officer said that the youths were spoken to and dispersed. "Situation is now under control. We are doing patrolling," the officer said. -- ENS inputs
In a letter, RJD veteran leader Sharad Yadav has raised concerns over the Centre's Agnipath scheme. He stated, "I do not agree that a young person having served for four years in the Army will get any respectable job except working as Security Guard in some private security agency."
"As I heard from many Ex-Army personnel that a combat soldier cannot be trained in four years, and the scheme thus compromises national security and I absolutely agree with this argument," he added.
"I would like to impress upon the Government and suggest that this Agnipath Scheme requires deep consultation and therefore the scheme needs to be revisited so that not only the youth of the country is reassured that the Government of the day is concerned about them but also security of the country remains a priority for the Government," Yadav said.
India Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari Friday announced that the recruitment process will begin on June 24. He stated, "The government has announced Agnipath Scheme under which youth will be able to join armed forces. The age criteria will be 17.5 to 21 years. Happy to announce that for the first recruitment, the upper age limit has been revised to 23 years. It'll benefit youth."
Police lathicharged protesters in Mathura as the agitation over Agnipath scheme continued on Friday.
Members of the Chatr-Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s student wing, were detained by the police on Friday after they demonstrated against the new Agnipath recruitment scheme, news agency ANI reported.
The agitation against the Agnipath scheme continued for a third day Friday, with protesters targeting the houses of Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Renu Devi and Bihar BJP president and West Champaran MP Dr Sanjay Jaiwwal.
In view of the Agnipath protests, prohibitory orders under Section 144, restricting gathering of more than four persons, have been imposed in Gurgaon, the police said.
With protesters blocking railway traffic and setting train coaches ablaze, services of at least 200 trains were affected across the country. At least 35 trains have been cancelled and 13 short-terminated.
One person lost his life while several others were injured after Telangana police allegedly opened fire on a mob at Secunderabad railway station as protests against the Centre’s new Agnipath scheme for recruiting soldiers across the three services escalated into large-scale violence and arson on Friday morning.
The situation escalated with protesters going on a rampage, setting at least four railway coaches on fire, blocking railway lines with two-wheelers, wooden boxes, garbage cans and wheelbarrows of railway porters, and stealing goods kept in the parcel section. An official of the Railway Protection Force said that one train was set on fire. Read more
Bihar Deputy CM Renu Devi whose residence in Betia was stone-pelted by protesters Friday said, "It is not just about attacking my house, it is about students being misinformed about Agnipath." -- ENS inputs
Following violent protests at the Secunderabad railway station which saw at least 10 injured and significant damage to the property, the South Central Railways has cancelled the services of over 40 trains.
Youths protesting against the Centre’s Agnipath scheme set an empty train on fire in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia district on Friday morning. The incident was reported from Ballia’s Cantt railway station, and the police said the youths were dispersed and the fire was doused.
Videos of youths vandalizing trains and the bogey set on fire went viral on Friday morning. The agitators also vandalized stalls at the railway station and indulged in stone-pelting in some parts of the district. Read more
Services of at least eight trains were affected due to ongoing students' agitation at various stations over the East Central Railway jurisdiction. According to the PRO, 12335 Malda Town - Lokmanya Tilak (T) Express and 12273 Howrah - New Delhi Duronto Express have been cancelled, ANI reported.
Several people were injured, one critically, after Telangana police allegedly opened fire on a mob at Secunderabad railway station as protests against the Centre’s new Agnipath scheme for recruiting soldiers across the three services escalated into large-scale violence and arson on Friday morning.
The situation escalated with protesters going on a rampage, setting at least four railway coaches on fire, blocking railway lines with two-wheelers, wooden boxes, garbage cans and wheelbarrows of railway porters, and stealing goods kept in the parcel section. An official of the Railway Protection Force said that one train was set on fire.
With all the facilities for passengers, cabins of railway officials and properties on all 10 platforms being destroyed, South Central Railway officials called for an emergency meeting and estimated that property worth at least Rs 20 crore has been damaged. Read more
Protests against the Agnipath scheme also began at Loharu in Haryana's Bhiwani district on Friday.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Friday tweeted that Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi does not understand what the country wants, listing out initiatives by the central government that were “rejected” by the people. “He can’t hear anything except the voice of his ‘friends’,” Rahul said.
Protesters pelted stones at the residence of Bihar Deputy CM Renu Devi in Betia. Devi is currently in Patna, her son told news agency ANI.
The agitators also attacked the house of state BJP chief and West Champaran MP Dr Sanjay Jaiwwal by firing in the air. Jaiswal is inside his house and safe under police cover, the police told The Indian Express.
A large number of youth, protesting against the Agnipath scheme, have blocked the railway tracks in Narwana, Jind district of Haryana. A goods train and a passenger train were stopped by the mob.
Heavy police deployment led by Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Singh has been ensured at the Narwana railway station to avoid any untoward incident. Railway police have also been deployed.
The crowd is swelling, according to the police personnel present on the spot.
Amid protests against the Agnipath scheme, Telangana Minister for IT and Industries K T Rama Rao Friday said the stir indicates the unemployment problem in the country.
"The violent protests against Agniveer Scheme is an eye-opener and acute indicator of the magnitude of unemployment crisis in the country. First, injustice against farmers, now soldiers. From One Rank - One Pension to proposed No Rank - No Pension!," Rama Rao, known as KTR, tweeted.
Hitting out at the Centre over the Agnipath scheme, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Friday tweeted: "Not even 24 hours passed and the BJP government had to change the rules of new army recruitment. This means the plan is being imposed on the youth in a hurry."
She added, "Narendra Modi ji, withdraw the scheme immediately."
Road and railway traffic were disrupted across 19 Bihar districts including Patna, Khagaria, Bhagalpur, Begusarai, Samastipur and Ara. So far, 21 trains have been delayed. -- ENS inputs
With protests continuing against the Agnipath scheme Friday, the Secunderabad railway station in Telangana was damaged. Stalls were vandalised, train coaches were set on fire and their windows broken, news agency ANI reported.
Protests against the Agnipath scheme continued Friday with students blocking tracks at the Lakhminia Railway Station. A blaze could be seen at the premises in a video shared by news agency ANI.
A train coach was set on fire in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia as protests against the Agnipath scheme continued for a second day on Friday. According to news agency ANI, the police dispersed students who had gathered at the railway station in the morning, following which one of the protesters set fire to the train coach.
Anticipating violence in the state, the Haryana government has suspended internet services in Faridabad district’s Ballabgarh. On Thursday, the state government had taken a similar step in Palwal.
"Government has issued temporary suspension of mobile internet services (2G/3G/4G/CDMA/GPRS), all SMS services ( only including bulk SMS and excluding banking and mobile recharge), and all dongle services etc. provided on mobile networks except the voice calls in the territorial jurisdiction of Sub Division Ballabgarh of district Faridabad and will be in force for next 24 hours with immediate effect for next 24 hours”, the home department’s order read.
The temporary suspension has been imposed to stop the spread of disinformation and rumours through various social media platforms, and to curb the facilitation and mobilization of mobs of agitators and demonstrators who can cause serious loss of life and damage to public and private properties by indulging in arson or vandalism and other types of violent activities, a spokesperson said.
According to news agency ANI, protesters reached the Ballia railway station Friday morning. Forces have been deployed, and the police said that "hooligans" were stopped from creating damage at the station.
Underlining concerns over the new Agnipath scheme, CPI's Rajya Sabha MP Binoy Viswam in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked for the government to reconsider it.
"Concerns of their (recruits') future are also at stake as 75% of the recruited will be forced to take a compulsory retirement post four years of their service, leaving them unemployed without work at a tender age. Leaving the trained youth unemployed after such a short period might also lead to law and order issues," he said.
With the protests against the Armed Forces’ new recruitment plan, Agnipath, continuing Friday, trains in Bihar’s Samastipur and Lakhisarai were set on fire by students. They also blocked railway traffic, while peaceful protests were held in Muzzafarnagar. The students demanded to know the status of those who cleared examinations held in 2019 and 2020.
Shubham Kumar, a resident of Banka, said: "I have qualified the test for Army jawan (technical and my name is already there on merit list. There are lakhs of students like me whose fate hangs in balance".
Rakesh Kushwaha, a Muzaffarpur student, said: "Is Agnipath scheme being implemented with immediate or retrospective effect. If all the previous test results are declared null and avoid, there could be more protests and it would be legally challenged as well".
For those protesting on the streets or watching from the sidelines, the primary concerns and insecurity have to do with the temporary nature of the new scheme — service is only for four years; pension has been removed; and there is no lifelong healthcare benefit for the soldier and his family.
There is also the fear that many of them may no longer be eligible — there has been no recruitment since 2020, and to become an Agniveer an aspirant has to be between age 17.5 and 21. Late Thursday night, the government granted a one-time waiver on the upper age limit by raising it to 23 years for 2022.
Until now, a soldier had job security for approximately 17 years, and thereafter the comfort of pension and access to subsidised healthcare for himself and his family. In case a soldier died in action, the benefits continued for his family. The Agnipath scheme will end these benefits. Read more
On Thursday, the Centre announced a two-year relaxation in the upper age limit for the Agnipath scheme this year since there was no recruitment in the services “during the last two years”.
After a day that saw large groups of youths blocking roads, pelting stones, torching train coaches, and targeting BJP offices and leaders, the Defence Ministry said that it would allow those who were 21 years old in 2020, when recruitments were stalled, to be eligible — only for this year.
Under the original scheme announced on Tuesday, only aspirants between 17-and-a-half years and 21 years of age are eligible for recruitment. But on Thursday, the Defence Ministry said that “the upper age limit for the recruitment process for Agnipath scheme for 2022 is increased to 23 years”. Read more
Congress leader and MP Manish Tewari on Thursday said the new Agnipath scheme is a much-needed reform in the right direction while noting that the armed forces should not be an employment guarantee programme. The government on Tuesday unveiled the scheme for the recruitment of soldiers in the Army, Navy and the Air Force largely on a four-year short-term contractual basis, in a major overhaul of the decades-old selection process.
“This is a reform which is much-needed and is a reform in the right direction,” Tewari said. “I do empathise with youth who have concerns over Agnipath recruitment Process. Reality is India needs a younger armed force with lighter human footprint savvy on technology, equipped with state of art weaponry. Armed forces of Union shouldn't be an employment guarantee programme,” he also said in a tweet. (PTI)
As Army job aspirants in Bihar continued their protest against the short-term recruitment scheme Agnipath for the second consecutive day, ally JD(U) on Thursday advised the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre to talk to the students and find a way out of the impasse, even as the party said that it does not support violent protests. While not directly criticising the Agnipath scheme, the party asked the BJP to address students’ grievances. Read More
Former Punjab chief minister and BJP ally Amarinder Singh on Thursday suggested a rethink on the Centre’s Agnipath scheme for recruitment to the armed forces, wondering why the government had to make such "radical" changes.
“It will dilute the long existing distinct ethos of regiments,” said Amarinder Singh, who is a former Army captain. According to a statement, he wondered why the government needed to make such “radical changes” in the recruitment policy, which has been working “so well for the country for so many years”.
“Hiring soldiers for four years, with effective service of three years, is not at all militarily a good idea,” said Amarinder Singh, whose party Punjab Lok Congress is an ally of the BJP in Punjab. The Centre on Tuesday unveiled the ambitious scheme for recruitment of the youth aged between 17 and a half and 21 in the Army, Navy and the Air Force, largely on a four-year short-term contractual basis. The youth recruited under the scheme will be known as 'Agniveers'. After the completion of the four-year tenure, 25 per cent of the recruits from each specific batch will be offered regular service. (PTI)
Over 34 trains were cancelled and eight more partially cancelled on Thursday due to protests against the "Agnipath" scheme to recruit youngsters into the armed forces and delays in the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) exams. The railways said 72 trains were also running late due to the protests.
Five mail and express trains and 29 passenger trains were cancelled. Protests were reported from several places across the country against the Agnipath scheme. At Nangloi, protesters blocked the railway track and raised slogans against the recently-announced scheme.
The Delhi Police said they received information at around 9.45 am that 15-20 people gathered at the Nangloi railway station to protest against the Agnipath scheme as also the delay in the RRB exams. The protesters told the police that they had filled up forms for some government examinations two-three years ago but the exams were not held and they have become over-aged now. The protesters were pacified and dispersed by the police around noon. A total of 22 trains were cancelled in the East Central Railway zone alone. (PTI)
Opposition parties in Haryana criticised the Union government on Thursday and demanded the immediate rollback of Agnipath, after protests raged in the state against the new short-term military recruitment scheme. While senior Congress leader and former Union minister Kumari Selja accused the Centre of betraying military aspirants, Indian National Lok Dal leader Abhay Chautala called the new scheme a “suicidal step”. Read More
The Haryana home department suspended internet facilities in Palwal following protests against the Centre's new Agnipath scheme. “In order to maintain law and order in Palwal and to prevent any rumours being spread, the home department has imposed an immediate ban in Palwal district on mobile internet services, SMS, dongle services etc. The ban has been imposed on a temporary basis. This order shall remain in force for the next 24 hours. The banking and mobile recharge facilities will continue to function in the district”, the home department's order read.
As protests raged across several states against the new Agnipath scheme for recruiting soldiers across the three services, the Congress on Thursday asked the government to keep the scheme in “abeyance” and hold “wide consultations” with serving and retired officers arguing that the scheme seems to be “poorly conceived” and “hastily drawn up”. Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters, former Union minister P Chidambaram said the scheme is “controversial, carries multiple risks, subverts the long-standing traditions and ethos of the armed forces and there is no guarantee that the soldiers recruited under the scheme will be better trained and motivated to defend the country”. “We have read and heard the views expressed by retired defence officers. Almost unanimously, they have opposed the scheme and we believe that many serving officers share the same reservations about the scheme,” he said. The Congress said it has several concerns regarding the scheme – the first one being the short training and short service. (Inputs from Manoj C G)
While angry crowds set the office of the BJP on fire, others attacked railway infrastructure and blocked roads on Thursday, as protests against the new military recruitment system spread across the country. Bihar is the worst-hit as protests have flared in around a dozen locations there. Watch video below.
The Opposition on Thursday stepped up its attack on the government over the Agnipath scheme amid protests against it in several parts of the country and demanded that it be scrapped, even as official sources asserted that no change is being done to the Army's regimental system under the new initiative.
While Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to listen to the voice of unemployed youths and not take 'agnipareeksha (trial by fire)' of their patience by making them walk on Agnipath, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav called the move 'negligent' and potentially 'fatal' for the country's future.
The Opposition came down heavily on the government over the scheme and demanded a rollback. In a tweet in Hindi, Priyanka Gandhi said there are many dreams for the future in the eyes of those preparing for recruitment in the armed forces such as serving the country and their parents. 'What will the new army recruitment scheme give them? After 4 years, no job guarantee, no pension facility = no rank, no pension. @narendramodi ji don't crush the dreams of the youth,' she said.
Questioning various provisions of Agnipath, BJP MP Varun Gandhi said it will give rise to more disaffection among the youths and asked the government to make its stand clear. In a letter to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Varun Gandhi said the young population has shared their questions and doubts with him about the radical changes in the soldiers' recruitment process which also proposes that the 75 per cent of the recruits under the scheme will retire after four years of service without pension. The Left parties demanded that the Agnipath scheme be scrapped and be taken up in Parliament for discussion, alleging that it does a 'disservice' to India's national interests. (PTI)
Scores of defence job aspirants, led by the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP), staged protests in several parts of Rajasthan on Thursday against the Centre’s Agnipath scheme. Job aspirants and RLP activists took out protest rallies in Jodhpur, Sikar, Jaipur, Nagaur, Ajmer and Jhunjhunu districts. Additional police forces were deployed at these protest centres, a senor police officer said. “No untoward incident has been reported from anywhere where protest is being held. The situation is peaceful,” ADGP (Law and Order) Hawa Singh Ghumaria said.
Urging youngsters to not get “deceived”, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said the Centre’s Agnipath scheme will give a “new dimension” to their life. The Chief Minister also said soldiers recruited under the Central Government's Agnipath scheme will be given preference in recruitment in police and other services in the state. His reaction comes amid protests by aspirants against the scheme in several parts of the state and the country. “Agneepath Yojana will give a new dimension to your life as well as give a golden base to the future. Don't be deceived. Our Agniveer, determined to serve Mother Bharati, will be an invaluable fund of the nation and @UPGovt will give preference to Agniveers in police and other services,” tweeted Adityanath.
Two days after the government unveiled its Agnipath scheme for recruiting soldiers across the three services, protests raged in several cities against the new defence recruitment path with aspirants raising job security and post-service benefits as their major concerns. Why are the aspirants up in arms? We Explain
Opining on the newly introduced recruitment scheme for the armed forces, PB Mehra writes: “The structure of the military has immense ramifications for security, and also for social organisation at large. The Agnipath scheme is a major structural reform with consequences both for the armed forces and society at large. Some reforms and restructuring of the armed forces was overdue. Sometimes, scepticism about reforms reflects an underlying status quo bias, rather than an assessment of needs. But it is also the case that this Agnipath is as much about creating a political illusion of reform as it is about addressing the armed forces’ needs. The spin given to the reform needs to be treated with a lot more caution.”
He adds: “Reform of the armed forces should be governed by a sound sociological, professional, institutional and strategic logic. Agnipath fails the smell test on all four.” Read More
The Ministry of Education announced Thursday that it will start a special programme through the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) to support the ‘Agnipath’ scheme of soldier recruitment announced by the Centre. Under the initiative, NIOS will develop customised courses to help ‘Agniveers’, who have cleared matriculation, to obtain Class 12 pass certificates. The certificates to be issued by the NIOS will be recognised for higher education as well as employment. “The Department of School Education & Literacy through its autonomous institution, the National Institute of Open Schooling, is instituting a special programme in consultation with the defence authorities to enable those Agniveers who are 10th class pass to further their education and obtain a 12th class pass certificate by developing customised courses that are not only current but very relevant to their area of service,” according to a statement issued by the education ministry.
Protests against the new Agnipath recruitment scheme turned violent in Haryana’s Palwal on Thursday as hundreds of youths took to streets and gheraoed the residence of the deputy commissioner. The protesters blocked the roads and started pelting stones and set ablaze vehicles in the area. In purported videos, policemen could be seen firing gunshots in the air to disperse the protesters. A senior police officer said that several policemen had suffered injuries. Meanwhile, protests were also reported in Rewari district. Hundreds of agitators also blocked traffic on the Gurgaon-Jaipur highway. Gurgaon traffic police diverted traffic at Bilaspur chowk, Kapriwas and Pachgaon on NH-48 and issued advisory asking commuters to take alternate routes. (Inputs from Pavneet Singh Chadha)