“There is no possibility of a reversal of the Agnipath scheme,” said Ajit Doval

*Paromita Das

On June 14, Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh announced the ‘Agnipath scheme,’ which allows Indian youths to serve for four years in the regular cadre of the Armed Forces.
Several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand, and Assam, held protests against the scheme.
In several states, enraged mobs vandalised public property, set fire to railway coaches, and halted train traffic. Images showed smoke billowing from burning trains, youth ransacking buses, and even private vehicles being set on fire in some cases.

The three Indian military supremos recently held a press conference, condemning the entire agitation against the Agniveer scheme.

They expressed their strong support for the new recruitment scheme, stating that it was a long-awaited change.

AjitDoval, India’s National Security Advisor, said on Tuesday that the government’s decision to scrap the Agnipath scheme for armed forces recruitment was “not a knee-jerk reaction that came overnight,” but had been debated and discussed for decades.
AjitDoval, the National Security Advisor, addressed some of the people’s concerns, amid violent protests against the Agnipath scheme.

NSA Doval told ANI in an exclusive interview on Tuesday that several committees have recommended lowering the average age of the armed forces over the years.

“There is no possibility of a reversal (of the Agnipath scheme). Let me say something to you. This isn’t a reaction that happened out of nowhere. For decades, this has been debated and discussed “he stated

He stated that ‘Agniveers’ will not make up the entire Army. “There are two things to keep in mind when it comes to regiments. The concept of regiments is not being tinkered with. He continued, “The regimental system has not ended.”

Doval also allayed fears that Agniveers released from the Services would become mercenaries for hire. “It’s completely false.” “I can tell you that if the society is to maintain peace and stability, the civilian population will have to become law-abiding,” the NSA said.

The “transformative” Agnipath scheme, announced by Union Minister Rajnath Singh on June 14 in the presence of the three service chiefs, calls for youths aged 17 and a half to 21 to be recruited into the Armed Forces for only four years, with a provision to keep 25% of them for another 15 years. In 2022, the Center raised the upper age limit for recruitment to 23 years.

Since the scheme was announced, there have been violent protests in several states across the country. Those protesting against the Center’sAgnipath scheme have set fire to sixty train coaches and property worth around Rs 700 crore in Bihar over the last four days.
The Army, Navy, and Air Force released a broad schedule for soldier recruitment under the Agnipath scheme on Sunday, claiming that it is being implemented to reduce the armed forces’ age profile.

Here are some of the key points from his speech:

• Doval stated that in the future, there will be contactless wars against invisible enemies, and the country will require a young, fit, and agile army.

  • “The entire war is changing dramatically.” We’re heading toward contactless wars as well as a war against the invisible enemy. Technology is rapidly gaining control. In an interview with ANI, Doval said, “If we have to prepare for tomorrow, we have to change.”

  • According to the NSA, security is a dynamic concept that cannot be static. “We only have to protect our national interest and national assets in relation to the environment.”
  • “It’s important to put it (The Agnipath Scheme) into context.” Agnipath is not a self-contained scheme. One of Prime Minister NarendraModi’s top priorities when he took office in 2014 was to make India more secure and powerful. “It took a lot of avenues, a lot of steps – a lot of them,” he said.

  • When asked about the role of coaching centers in violence, Doval said, “FIRs have been filed, the accused have been identified, and after a thorough investigation, we will be able to say who the forces behind it were.” An investigation must be conducted, and it must be thorough.”

  • “I believe that protesting and raising one’s voice is both justified and permissible in a democracy.” “However, vandalism and violence are not permitted and will not be tolerated,” Doval stated.
  • We get along well with our neighbors, including Pakistan. We’d like to have normal relations with Pakistan, but the NSA has stated that the tolerance threshold for terrorism is extremely low. “We can’t have peace and war at our adversary’s discretion.” If we need to protect our interests, we’ll decide when, with whom, and under what conditions we’ll make peace,” he added.

  • My message to young people who want to be ‘Agnivesers’ is to be positive, to believe in the country, to believe in the leadership, and to believe in themselves,’ Doval said.

  
  ‘Cancel it,’ says AsaduddinOwaisi of the BJP’s Agnipath scheme.

  On the other hand, AsaduddinOwaisi, the leader of the All India Majlis-e-IttehadulMuslimeen (AIMIM), slammed the BJP government for AjitDoval’s comments on the Agnipath scheme.

  “Following the military officers, the National Security Agency (NSA) has been called in to defend the indefensible scheme of short-term contractual soldier recruitment. ’56-inch’ lacks the courage to take responsibility for his actions and hides behind others “According to Owaisi.

  Owaisi went on to say that the Prime Minister should listen to the country’s youth and scrap the scheme.

When the decision is wrong, it should be reversed. The youth are the future of the country and @PMOIndia should have the good sense to listen to them. Cancel this scheme for short term contractual recruitment now.

— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) June 21, 2022

We’re heading toward contactless warfare, as well as a war against an unseen foe.

Doval told ANI about the Agnipath scheme: “The war as a whole is changing dramatically. We’re heading toward contactless warfare, as well as a war against an unseen foe. Technology is rapidly gaining control. We must change if we are to be prepared for tomorrow.”

Owaisi, on the other hand, refuted Doval’s assertion. “How does having poorly trained soldiers on contract for a short time help the army prepare for modern wars? Instead of the other way around, the idea should be that modern technology necessitates better soldiers “according to Owaisi.

Are there going to be more regiments?

In response to a question about army regiments, NSA AjitDoval stated that the Agnipath plan would not change the concept of regiments. “They’ll keep going. The regimental system is still in place “Doval explained.

Traditional army structures, on the other hand, would be eliminated under the Agnipath scheme, according to Owaisi. “You can still call it the Gorkha Regiment, but will it still is the Gorkha Regiment if it has one Tamilian, one Kashmiri, and one Haryanavi? The National Security Agency (NSA) should recognise that this contractual recruitment scheme eliminates our traditional army structures “AIMIM’s leader stated.

All of the BJP’s top leaders, as well as the Indian military, are working tirelessly to dispel all doubts and clarify the scheme.

Various state governments have announced that they will re-hire the agniveers to many government employees in their respective states. Furthermore, many private companies have announced job reservations for the agniveers.

Opposition leaders, on the other hand, continue to inflame the situation. This will result in a significant loss for the country.