Anger Over 'Agnipath' Simmers, Centre Firm On No Rollback: 10 Points

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met the three Services chiefs this morning amid a row over the 'Agnipath' defence recruitment scheme. It is learnt that the focus of the meeting was to ensure a quick rollout of the Agnipath scheme and discuss ways to pacify the agitators.

The protests continue in some states, the most intense being in Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Bihar. In Delhi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other party leaders held a 'Satyagrah' protest against the scheme.

The opposition maintained the pressure on the government, pressing for the immediate withdrawal of the recruitment plan. Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav demanded that the centre should clear the doubts over the scheme, while Congress leader Sachin Pilot said it should be withdrawn for wider consultations to avoid a repeat of the farm laws episode.

In a bid to pacify the protesters, the Home and Defence ministries on Saturday promised new 10 per cent quotas each in jobs for 'Agnipath' recruits after their four-year tenure in the armed forces. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that the PSUs under his housing and petroleum ministries are also working on plans to induct 'Agniveers'.

The centre indicated that other departments too were working in the direction after several BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Assam announced various measures to encourage the youth to apply under the Agnipath scheme and assured them reservation.

The Home Ministry has further decided to give 3 years of age relaxation beyond the prescribed upper age limit to Agniveers for recruitment in Central Armed Police Forces and Assam Rifles.

Soon after the launch of the scheme, the government also announced that it has decided to increase the upper age limit for the recruitment of Agniveers from 21 years to 23 years for the recruitment cycle of 2022.

Over 350 trains were cancelled on Saturday across India as deadly violence by armed forces aspirants upset with the new programme continued in several states. The railways have suffered massive losses during protests over the last four days.

Agnipath has also faced criticism from some of the Army veterans, who argue that the four-year tenure will hit the fighting spirit in the ranks and make them risk-averse.

Under the scheme, people between the age of 17.5 years and 21 years will be inducted into the services for a four-year tenure. During this period, they will be paid a monthly salary between Rs 30,000-40,000 plus allowances.