"Much Younger Armed Force": Nirmala Sitharaman Defends Agniveer Scheme

Agniveer scheme will help keep armed forces battle-ready and young, and there is no need to do politics over it, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in the Rajya Sabha.

Dismissing criticism over the scheme, the minister said recruiting young people in the age group of 17-21 years will ensure actually that India has fit soldiers who are on the front line.

"One of the expected outcomes of the scheme is that armed forces will have a much younger force by recruiting those in the age group of 17-21 years," she said.

"And I don't think there is a need for us to unnecessarily worry that this is causing some kind of distortion. Not at all. It is with the acceptance of the armed forces that it has been brought in," Ms Sitharaman said.

"Agniveer is a scheme which we brought in with great sense of commitment to keep our armed forces battle-ready and young and fit people get into the army," she added.

The minister was replying to remarks made by senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram during the general discussion on the Union Budget.

She emphasised that Agniveer scheme is very important and the country needs to have greater sense of looking at national interest.

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