Give them full-term jobs, not four years: Arvind Kejriwal tells Centre on Agnipath scheme

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday (June 16, 2022) came out in support of defence job aspirants protesting against the Agnipath scheme and urged the Centre to give them the chance to serve the country throughout their life and not just four years. The Agnipath scheme, which was announced by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday, seeks to recruit soldiers in the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force on a short-term contract of four years.

"Appeal to the central government: Youth should be given the chance to serve the country their whole life, not four years. Those who became overage due to lack of recruitment in the Army in the last two years should also be given a chance," Arvind Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi.

Amid several defence job aspirants taking to the streets at a number of places in the country against the Agnipath scheme, the Delhi CM stated that the youth are "unhappy" and opposing the Agnipath scheme across India.

"The central government's new scheme in Army recruitment is being opposed everywhere in the country. The youth are very angry. Their demands are right. The Army is the pride of our country, our youth want to give their whole life to the country, don't restrict their dreams to 4 years," Kejriwal said in a series of tweets.

केंद्र सरकार से अपील- युवाओं को 4 साल नहीं, पूरी ज़िंदगी देश सेवा करने का मौक़ा दिया जाए। पिछले दो साल सेना में भर्तियाँ ना होने की वजह से जो overage हो गए, उन्हें भी मौक़ा दिया जाए।

2/2 — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 16, 2022

Meanwhile, more than a dozen defence force aspirants on Thursday stopped a train at Nangloi Railway Station in outer Delhi by lying down on the tracks. According to police, around 15-20 people gathered at Nangloi Railway Station around 9.45 am to protest against a delay in railway recruitment examinations and also against the Agnipath scheme.

They stopped a train which was bound for Old Delhi from Jind in Haryana, police said.

Hundreds of students in Bihar also took to the streets to protest against the Agnipath scheme. The outrage, however, turned violent as a group of protestors set a train ablaze to register their anger against the move. 

#WATCH | Bihar: Armed forces aspirants protest at Bhabua Road railway station, block tracks & set a train ablaze over #AgnipathRecruitmentScheme

They say, "We prepared for long&now they've brought ToD (Tour of Duty) as a 4-yr job.Don't want that but the old recruitment process" pic.twitter.com/TmhfnhHiVg — ANI (@ANI) June 16, 2022

What is Agnipath Scheme? 

The Agnipath Scheme provides an opportunity for Indian youth to serve in the regular cadre of the Armed Forces for a period of four years. This is seen as a major defence policy reform introduced by the Narendra Modi-led government to usher in a new era in the human resource policy of the Army, Air Force and Navy. 

‘अग्निपथ’ की शपथ लेकर, देश का युवा बनेगा ‘अग्निवीर’ #BharatKeAgniveer pic.twitter.com/NnIocEg9gs — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) June 14, 2022

The policy, which comes into immediate effect, will hereafter govern the recruitment of personnel below officer rank (PBOR) in the three services.

ALSO READ | Agnipath scheme: Centre now announces degree programme for Agniveers - Details here

The Agniveers will form a distinct rank in the three services, and will also wear a distinct insignia as part of their uniform.

The selection will be the exclusive jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and around 46,000 Agniveers will reportedly be recruited this year.

Salary of Agniveers?

Agniveers will be given an attractive customised monthly package along with Risk and Hardship allowances as applicable in the three services. On completion of the engagement period of four years, Agniveers will be paid a one-time `SevaNidhi` package which shall comprise their contribution including accrued interest thereon and matching contribution from the Government equal to the accumulated amount of their contribution including interest.

In the first year, Agniveers will get Rs 30,000 per month but they will receive only Rs 21,000 as 30 per cent of their remuneration or Rs 9,000 will be their contribution to the Agniveer Corpus Fund and the government will contribute the same amount to the corpus fund.

अग्निपथ योजना के माध्यम से देश के नौजवानों को बतौर अग्निवीर भारतीय सेना में सेवा का अवसर प्रदान किया जाएगा.. pic.twitter.com/zF34jTPUII — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) June 14, 2022

Agniveers will receive Rs 33,000 in the second year, Rs 36,500 in the third year and Rs 40,000 in the fourth year.

They will get Rs 11.71 lakh as Seva Nidhi Package after four years. The `Seva Nidhi` will be exempt from Income Tax. 

There shall be no entitlement to gratuity and pensionary benefits. 

Agnipath Scheme's enrolment and eligibility criteria?

Enrolment will be based on an `All India All Class` basis and the eligible age will be in the range from 17.5 to 21 years. Agniveers will have to meet the medical eligibility conditions laid down for enrolment in the armed forces as applicable to respective categories/trades.

अग्निपथ योजना से भारतीय सेनाओं में नई ऊर्जा का संचार होगा और युवाओं के लिए रोज़गार के नए अवसर भी पैदा होंगे। pic.twitter.com/ytUVSOgIxv — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) June 14, 2022

The educational qualification for Agniveers will remain in vogue for enrollment in various categories. For example: For entry into General Duty (GD) soldier, the educational qualification is Class 10. 

Enrolment will be undertaken through an online centralised system for all three services with specialised rallies and campus interviews from recognised technical institutes such as Industrial Training Institutes and National Skills Qualifications Framework, among others.

(With agency inputs)