The tri-service press conference was held in Delhi to clear misconceptions around the recruitment process in the defence forces, which caused a furore among some sections of the youth.
It was presided over by Lt. Gen. Anil Puri, Additional Secretary in the Department of Military Affairs, Lt Gen Bansi Ponappa from the Army, Vice Admiral Dinesh Tripathi from the Navy and Air Marshal Suraj Jha from the Air Force. During the meet, the officers announced a barrage of new salient features of the policy.
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It was said that after completing the Agnipath programme after four years, the Agniveers would enjoy 10% reservations in the Central Armed Police Force (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles as announced by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Furthermore, several ministries including the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Highways, and Ministry of Education among others have announced certificate, degree and bridging programmes for the aspirants to pursue.
Business tycoon Anand Mahindra on Monday said his firm will be happy to hire ‘Agniveers’ – the recruits of the Agnipath military scheme. He stated in a tweet that the discipline & skills Agniveers gain will make them eminently employable. On behalf of the Mahindra Group, he “welcomed” the opportunity to recruit such trained, capable young people.
All this is fine. But the question is, were these incentives already thought of before the Agnipath scheme was launched or was it taken as a damage control measure after the Army aspirants ran riot and started burning down the country?
If it was the former, then what was the administration waiting for to issue such a long list of clarifications? It reacted after a delay of three days, when the damage was already done. The centre and the tri-services top hierarchy were certainly caught on the wrong foot. Unlike protests against CAA or farm laws there was no organised outfit leading the charge this time.
It certainly seemed that the youth who have been unempoloyed for last two years were venting their frustration at the administration. When the details of Agnipath scheme came to light, they suddenly found that there was no secured future for them. That’s when the piled-up frustration of two years burst out into anger and led to mayhem.
The slew of measures that were announced by the representatives of the tri-services or the assurances by State governments and corporates to absorb these Agniveers after completing four years of service, still doesn’t seem convincing from the aspirants’ point of view, who are looking for socio-economic security.
Still, even if we consider that the government meant well, then why weren’t the stakeholders explained about when the senior veterans were criticising the move much before the riots broke out? Be it anti-farm laws protest or this Agnipath protest, the government has made it a habit of ignoring the advice of experts from the respective fields and shove its agenda without taking the stakeholders into confidence.
Even now when the time to issue clarification came, the government conveniently forwarded the armed forces in front of the media to defend its turf, despite the fact that it was a political decision. Why didn’t Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh come forward to take the questions? Why did the government decide to use armed forces as the shield against the wrath of people?
Already hurt by the government’s handling of the recruitment scheme, a BJP leader added salt to injury when he said that he would give priority to Agnipath recruits for security jobs at his BJP office. Is this how a matured democracy behaves?
