Amid 'Agnipath' Row, PM's Meeting With 3 Service Chiefs Today: 10 Facts

PM Modi's meeting with the service chiefs comes in the wake of widespread protests against the centre's short-term recruitment plan for the armed forces.

Referring to the 'Agnipath' scheme, the Prime Minister on Monday said some decisions "may look unfair" at first, but will help in nation-building later.

 The centre has filed a caveat in the Supreme Court urging that the court must hear its side before taking any decision on the petitions challenging the 'Agnipath' military recruitment scheme.

The Army has said the induction of soldiers under the recruitment plan will begin next month, while Air Force issued a notification on Tuesday saying its registration process will start from June 24. The three services of the military on Sunday came out with a broad schedule of enrolment under the scheme and warned those who indulged in violence and arson will not be inducted.

In Haryana, the khap leaders have called a meeting in Jind to chalk out a common strategy against the scheme.

Over 600 trains were cancelled on Monday amid protests in several states as part of 'Bharat Bandh', although the shutdown call over the 'Agnipath' scheme received a tepid response. The railways has suffered a major loss of property due to arson and rioting over the last week.

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 force.

The Home Ministry has also 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.

Protests erupted in several states after the centre unveiled the 'Agnipath' scheme last Tuesday. Under the scheme, people between 17.5 and 21 years will be recruited in the armed forces for a four-year period, followed by compulsory retirement for most without gratuity and pension benefits. Later, the government extended the upper age limit to 23 years for recruitment in 2022.

Several opposition parties, as well as some military veterans, have criticised the scheme, They say that the four-year tenure will hit the fighting spirit of the soldiers and make them risk-averse. The government, however, has ruled out a rollback.