No rollback of Agnipath scheme; 3 services come out with broad schedule for recruitment

New Delhi, June 19 (PTI/IANS): Ruling out the rollback of the ‘Agnipath’ recruitment scheme despite widespread protests, the three services of the military on Sunday came out with a broad schedule of enrolment under the new policy and asserted that it was aimed at bringing down the age profile of the armed forces.

Lt. Gen. Anil Puri, the additional secretary in the Department of Military Affairs, told a press conference that the supportive measures announced in the last few days for the Agniveers were not because of the protests and arson, and the government was already working on them.

He said the youths who were involved in arson and violence while protesting the scheme will not be able to join the three services as a police verification process will be carried out before enrolling anyone.

“There is no space for indiscipline in the armed forces. There is no space for arson and violence. All those who want to become a part of the armed forces under the Agnipath scheme will have to give a certificate that they were not part of any arson,” he said.

To a question on whether the government was reviewing or rolling back the scheme because of the protests, Lt. Gen. Puri said, “No, why should there be a rollback?”

The tri-services media briefing at the Defence Ministry took place hours after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting with the chiefs of the Army, Navy and the Air Force on Sunday for the second straight day.

Lt. Gen. Puri said the major reform in the armed forces to bring down their age profile was introduced after years of deliberations and studying the recruitment process and tenure of soldiers in several countries.

He added that even a high-level committee on the 1999 Kargil War had made suggestions on it.

Giving details of the Navy’s plan to induct ‘Agniveers’ under the scheme, Vice Admiral (Personnel) Dinesh Tripathi said the naval headquarters will come out with a broad guideline for the recruitment by June 25.

The first batch of recruits will join the training programme on INS Chilka in Odisha by November 21, he said, adding the Navy is recruiting both men and women as ‘Agniveers’ under the scheme.

About the Indian Air Force’s plan for induction under the Agnipath scheme, Air Marshall S K Jha said the registration process will start on June 24 and the process for online examination for phase one of the recruitment process will begin on July 24.

“We are planning to start the training for the first batch of recruits by December 30,” Air Marshall Jha said.

About the Army’s recruitment plan, Lt. Gen. Bansi Ponappa said the Army will issue a draft notification on Monday and subsequent notifications will be issued by various recruitment units of the force from July 1 onwards.

Recruitment rallies under the Agnipath scheme will take place across India in August, September and October, he said.

Lt. Gen. Ponappa said the first batch comprising 25,000 personnel will join the training programme in the first and second week of December. The second lot of recruits will join their training around February 23.

He said a total of 83 recruitment rallies will be organised across the country to select around 40,000 personnel.

Referring to the provision of exit of 75 per cent of the ‘Agniveers’ after a four-year tenure, Lt Gen Puri said around 17,600 personnel take premature retirement annually from the three services.

“It is not that exit will take place only under Agnipath scheme,” he said.

Unveiling the 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 them will be subsequently inducted for regular service.

The youths to be recruited under the new scheme would be called ‘Agniveer’.

In an attempt to pacify the protesters, the government on Thursday night increased the upper age limit for recruitment under the ‘Agnipath’ scheme to 23 years from 21 for the year 2022.

The announcement of the new scheme came in the backdrop of recruitment into the military remaining stalled for over two years. The Army recruits 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers annually. However, the recruitment could not take place for the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.