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 job aspirants up in arms?
Job security and pension are two major issues being cited by protesters. Under the previous system, troops joined for a 17-year period, which could be extended for some personnel, and it resulted in a lifelong pension. The new scheme, however, envisages just a four-year tenure for most, and the Agniveers will not be eligible for pension benefits.
EXPLAINED | Why are job aspirants protesting against the ‘Agnipath’ scheme?
As the protests against Agnipath, the Centre’s new recruitment scheme for the armed forces, continued for the third consecutive day on Saturday, including in Bihar, it sparked a war of words between the JD(U) and the BJP, members of the ruling coalition in the state.
While Bihar BJP chief Sanjay Jaiswal targeted the JD(U) over its party offices coming under attack, calling it a “conspiracy” that police didn’t stop the protesters, JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh hit back, asking why police hadn’t acted against protesters in states where it is in power.
