Agnipath row: The Ministry of Defense on Saturday said that 10 per cent of all vacancies in the Ministry of Defence will be reserved for the armed forces recruits who have completed four years of service under the 'Agnipath' scheme. The new offer from the Central government comes within hours of the Home Ministry's announcement to reserve 10% vacancies for recruitment in CAPFs and Assam Rifles, for Agniveers.
The 10% reservation will be implemented in the Indian Coast Guard and defence civilian posts, and all the 16 Defence Public Sector Undertakings. This reservation would be in addition to the existing reservation for ex-servicemen.
"Necessary amendments to relevant recruitment rules will be undertaken to implement these provisions. Defence Public Sector Undertakings will be advised to make similar amendments to their respective recruitment rules. Necessary age relaxation provision will also be made," the Ministry of Defence informed.
The development comes amid protests against the Agnipath scheme by Defense aspirants across parts of India.
Agnipath scheme
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'. A major objective of the scheme is to bring down the average age of military personnel and cut the ballooning salary and pension bills.
The announcement of the new scheme came against the backdrop of recruitment in the military being stalled over the coronavirus pandemic for over two years.
Protests break out in parts of country
Several states of India including UP, Odisha, Telangana, Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh saw protests against the Agnipath scheme introduced by the Centre recently.
On Friday, one person died in Secunderabad while Railway services remained most affected in the entire turmoil. A total of 340 trains were affected while 234 were cancelled. Worse, the nationwide agitation continued unabated even after Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw appealed to the youths to not destroy Railway property.
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