The government is confident that the 75% of ‘Agniveers’ who will not be selected for regular service after four years will get employment elsewhere but this should also be seen from the point of view of having a large trained ‘reserve’ of men who can be appealed to serve the nation in a dire need if there is war and significantly enhance the country’s armed strength.
The societal benefits of gainly engaging the youth in the armed forces between 17 and 21 years of age, when they are perhaps the most vulnerable to falling under wrong company or habits, should be seen as another plus point of the scheme. The Agnipath scheme will give rise to a disciplined lot of youth workforce in towns and villages who will not only be an asset in their next job but be ready as a sort of a ‘reserve’ to serve the country again if such a need arises in case of a full-blown war.
Incidentally, News18 has learnt this from sources, and there is some thinking at some senior levels in the government about the ‘hidden benefits’ of the Agnipath scheme that will emerge in the years to come. The response to the scheme is already belying the claims of some that it will get little traction on the ground. Nearly 6.5 lakh youngsters have applied for 3,000 jobs in the Indian Air Force under Agnipath, about 19% more than any earlier recruitment cycle in the IAF.
This application number is expected to be manifold of the IAF’s in the Army in which registrations are still ongoing, as the Army will be doing an intake of nearly 40,000 youth this year under Agnipath. The Navy has announced a 20% share for women in recruitments, including on boarding women as sailors. While some may term the response as a pent-up result of the two-year gap in recruitments due to Covid, the fact remains that the scheme has received a huge response.
“There is no confusion in the rank and file as it is seen as a progressive step,” a senior government official told News18. The encouraging response to the scheme, the official said, is also seen as a result of the government ‘sensitively’ handling the fall-out of the protests that broke out initially, and taking pro-active steps. It is believed that the decision to allow an age relaxation for this year was taken within a day, with back-to-back meetings at the Union Defence Minister’s residence.
“The logical demand of the protestors was accepted instantly. During those protests, people were being used to use their energies negatively and it was largely a sponsored set of events to tarnish the government’s reputation. But all that is in the past now,” the senior official explained. He said the reaction from the Central Armed Police Forces and numerous states to gainfully employ ‘Agniveers’ who do not make it to regular service has further raised confidence in the scheme.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News, watch Top Videos and Live TV here.
Comments
0 comment