The Congress on July 9 slammed the Narendra Modi government over reports that youth recruited under the Agnipath scheme were leaving training mid-way.
Taking to Twitter, Congress general secretary (Communication) Jairam Ramesh said the scheme has shattered the dreams of the youth and created various apprehensions in their mind.
“Earlier it was a dream of the youth to join the army and serve the country. Respecting the resolve of the youth to serve the country, they were given better facilities and job security. The very foundation of Agniveer Yojana is wrong. It has shattered the dreams of the youth to serve the country and has created various apprehensions. The result is before everyone,” he tweeted, tagging a news report that claimed recruits were leaving training midway.
The Agnipath scheme, launched in June 2022, recruits soldiers below the rank of commissioned officers. While 25% of the recruits would be eligible for permanent commission, others would be given monetary compensation on completion of their tenure.
The Centre had also announced that Agniveers or soldiers recruited under the scheme would get employment in Central Para-Military Forces (CPMFs) on completion of their four-year tenure. However, the announcement about CPMFs followed wide-scale protests over the short tenure.
