No rollback of Agnipath scheme: Top military officers explain it in details

New Delhi, June 20: There will be no rollback of the Agnipath scheme and the intake of 'Agniveers' will go up to 1.25 lakhs in the near future, said Lt. General Anil Puri, Additional Secretary, Department of Military Affairs in a presser on Sunday. He also added that such a scheme was in process for a long time.

 

 

 

 

He informed that those who are indulging in violence in the name of protests will be barred from joining the armed forces. He along with Indian Army’s Adjutant General Lt Gen Bansi Ponappa, Indian Navy’s Chief of Personnel Vice Admiral Dinesh Tripathi and Indian Air Force’s Personnel in-charge Air Marshal Suraj Jha held a press conference in order to address the concerns voiced out by the youth.

 

1. We have been planning this since 1984 and now have come up with this idea. Intake of 'Agniveers' to go up to 1.25 lakhs in future, the Department of Military Affairs said.

 

 

2. "We want a mix of josh and hosh and that is why we wanted to reduce the age profile. The average age is 32 years at present and we want to reduce it as per the recommendations of the Kargil review committee and Arun Singh committee report. We want to bring youthfulness and experience with this reform. Today, a large number of jawan are in their 30s and officers are getting command much later than in the past," the military officer said.

 

3. Air Marshal SK Jha said, "Registration process for the first batch of Agniveers will start from June 24. The phase-I online examination process would start on July 24. The first batch would be enrolled by December and training would commence by December 30."

 

 

4. Navy Chief of Personnel, Vice Admiral Dinesh Tripathi said, "From November 21 this year, the first naval 'Agniveers' will start reaching the training establishment INS Chilka, Odisha. Both female and male Agniveers are allowed for this."

 

5. "Coming to the rollback of the scheme, no. Why should it be rolled back? It is the only progressive step to making the country young. Why is it being made young? We are tinkering with 'Desk ki Raksha (national security). There is no space. I will give you an example. Do you know how many casualties are reported just for health purposes from high-altitude areas? Do read about it, then you would come to know why young is important," the officer said.

 

6. The military officers also asserted that every individual will give a certificate that they were not part of the protest or vandalism. Police verification is 100 per cent, no one can join without that. "And if any FIR lodged against them, they can't join...They (aspirants) will be asked to write as part of the enrolment form that they were not part of the arson, their police verification will be done," Lt Gen Puri said.

 

 

7. Lt. Gen. Anil Puri said that the 'Agniveers' would get the same allowance in areas like Siachen and other places which are applicable to the regular soldiers serving at present. There will be no discrimination against them in the service conditions, he added.

 

8. "Agniveers' will get a compensation for Rs 1 crore if he sacrifices his life in service of the nation," he added further.