Addressing the press conference, Lt Gen Arun PuriAdditional Secretary in military affairs departmentSaid that the government is moving ahead to implement the Agneepath scheme and appealed to the youth to end their protest. Strongly defending the Agneepath plan, Lt Gen Puri said that the idea of reducing the life expectancy of the three services was on for a long time and even the Kargil Review Committee had commented on it.
Take a look at key highlights from the briefing:
*Additional Secretary, Department of Military Affairs, Lt Gen Arun Puri while talking about the new recruitment model said that the reform was long overdue. “We want to bring youth and experience with this reform. Today a large number of jawans are in their 30s and officers are getting command much later than before.
* Lt Gen Arun Puri also said that every year around 17,600 people are taking premature retirement from the three services and no one ever asked what they would do after retirement.
*The’agniveerSiachen and other areas will get the same allowance as is applicable to the regular soldiers currently serving, Lt Gen Arun Puri assured them of no discrimination in terms of service.
* He said that if ‘Agnivars’ sacrifice their lives in the service of the nation, they will get a compensation of Rs 1 crore.
* “In the next four-five years, our (soldiers) recruitment will be 50,000-60,000 and later it will be increased to 90,000 – 1 lakh. We have started small with 46,000 to analyze the plan… and basic Capacity to build the framework,” said Lt Gen Puri.
* He further added that in the near future the consumption of ‘Agnivar’ will go up to 1.25 lakh and will not be 46,000, which is the current figure.
* Lt Gen Puri further said on Sunday that “announcements regarding reservation for ‘Agnivar’ made by various ministries and departments were pre-planned and not in response to the arson that followed the announcement of the Agneepath scheme”.
* Talking about the ongoing nationwide protests against the new model, Lt Gen Puri said: “Discipline is the foundation of the Indian Army. There is no room for arson and vandalism. A proof stating that to every individual Letters must be submitted that they were not involved in the protest or sabotage. Police verification is mandatory, and without it one cannot join.”
Air Marshal SK Jha said in the briefing that the registration for the first batch of Agniveer will start from June 24, and the first phase of the online examination will start from July 24. He said that the enrollment of the first batch would be done by December. And this training will start from 30th December.
* At the briefing, Lt Gen Bansi Ponnappa said, that by the first week of December, the government would get the first batch of 25,000 ‘Agnivars’ and the second batch would be inducted around February 2023, taking the number to 40,000.
*Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Dinesh Tripathi said: “From November 21 this year, the first naval ‘Agnivers’ will start arriving at the training establishment of INS Chilka in Odisha. Both male and female Agniveers are eligible.”
Vice Admiral Tripathi also said that Indian Navy Presently 30 women officers are sailing on various ships of Indian Navy. “We have decided that under the Agneepath scheme, we will also recruit women. They will also be deployed on warships.