35 WhatsApp groups have been banned by the central government for allegedly spreading fake news on the controversial ‘Agneepath’ scheme.
The move comes amid violent protests against the scheme in the northern and eastern parts of the country as it was announced a few days ago.
However, it was not immediately known whether any action has been initiated about these groups or against their administrators.
Enrollment under the new armed services recruitment scheme will begin this month, top defense officials said on Sunday, despite opposition to a plan that would drastically cut tenure and provide less service benefits at the end of the contract.
On June 14, Narendra Modi’s government prepared a policy named the path of fireOr the “Path of Fire”, which is designed to bring more people into the military on a four-year contract to reduce the average age of India’s 1.38 million-strong armed forces.
The plan led to violent protests in various parts of the country, with thousands of youths attacking train coaches, burning tires and clashing with officials, following which the government changed some of the rules.
The plan has also received criticism from some defense experts, who say it could undermine the composition of forces and have serious implications for national security in a country that shares an often tense border with Pakistan and China. Is.
But top defense officials say Agneepath is a transformative reform that has been implemented to improve the security infrastructure.
“Why should it be withdrawn? It was a long pending reform,” Additional Secretary in the Defense Ministry Lt Gen Anil Puri told reporters in New Delhi.
Under Agneepath, 46,000 cadets will be recruited this year, and only 25% will be placed at the end of their four-year term. Cadets will undergo six months of training and then will be posted for 3-1/2 years.
One of the biggest concerns is the future of soldiers after their tenure ends, but Puri said the government will ensure that those enrolled under the scheme get suitable jobs when they are discharged.
He said any person participating in violent protests would not be eligible for defense services under the scheme.
On Sunday, the federal home ministry said it would reserve 10% vacancies in paramilitary forces and the Assam Rifles, a unit of the Indian Army, for those who passed out from the army under the scheme, while the defense ministry said the scheme Will reserve 10% of its vacancies for those who fulfill the
with agency input