More protests against the newly introduced scheme called Agnipath or “path of fire” has broken out in most parts of India. The scheme which was introduced by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi aimed to bring in more youths who will be called ‘Agniveers’ into the military service for four years. The scheme is however not open to women.
The protesters say the newly introduced scheme would be limiting the opportunities for people to get permanent jobs that assure fixed salaries, pensions, and other benefits with the military, but the government had explained to the protesters that the recruits would instead be getting a better package upon leaving after four years. They would be prioritized in recruitment offers as some of them could be retained in the military and other paramilitary forces
Thousands of young men have attacked train coaches, burned tires, and clashed with police officers. The Railways authorities have also canceled 369 trains on Saturday due to the agitations going on in major parts of India against the scheme.
The Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, said in a press conference on Saturday that the new scheme had been misunderstood by the people. The navy chief also said that he did not expect the protests
“I didn’t anticipate any protests like this,” Navy chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar said, “It is the single biggest human resource management transformation that has ever happened in the Indian military.”
