Janjivan Bureau / New Delhi : Lt Gen Anil Puri, Additional Secretary, Department of Military Affairs, addresses a press conference in New Delhi on Sunday. Amid escalating protests against the ‘Agnipath’ military recruitment scheme in several parts of the country, the Defence Ministry on Sunday said that this reform was long pending.
Unveiling the Agnipath scheme on Tuesday, the government said youths between the ages of 17-and-a-half and 21 years would be inducted for a four-year tenure while 25 per cent of the recruits will be retained for regular service. The upper age limit was raised to 23 years on Thursday as the protests against the new model for enrolment of soldiers into the Army, Navy and Air Force spread.
However, the scheme has been met with violent protests across several states.
Meanwhile, the Centre has made key changes to the scheme as the first batch of ‘Agniveers’ will avail a further relaxation of 5 years beyond the upper age limit of 23, taking it to 28 years.
“’Agnipath’ reform was long pending, and we are bringing this reform to bring down age profile of armed forces,” Lt Gen Anil Puri, Additional Secretary, Department of Military Affairs, said at a press conference in the National Capital.
“Rising age factor of armed forces is worrisome. Even the Kargil review committee had talked about it,” the Defence Ministry official said.
He said service conditions of ‘Agniveers’ will be on par with regular soldiers.
