CHENNAI: Amid growing protest against the Agnipath scheme, Army aspirants and ex-servicemen at Kammavanpettai in Vellore’s Kaniyambadi block voiced discontent about the Union government’s decision to roll out the short-service scheme.
The village, nicknamed Ranuva Pettai (Army village), has around 1,500 war widows, war veterans, and ex-servicemen. Inspired by war veterans and soldiers like Narayanan, martyred during the Kargil War, the youngsters want to join the Army to continue the legacy of the village. They expressed disappointment over the Agnipath scheme, saying it sowed seeds of uncertainty over their aspirations and future.
“We are spending six hours a day (5.30 am to 8.30 am and 3.30 pm to 6.30 pm) doing physical training, while preparing for written tests during the day. This is our routine for the last two years. But the new scheme is demoralising,” said Vignesh, 20, one of the aspirants in Red Rose Army Warrior’s defence training academy in the village.
For them, enrolling in the Army would serve a dual purpose – to serve the nation and ensure livelihood and take care of their family. “The short-service scheme is threatening our dreams. What is the guarantee of getting a decent job if we are sent back after four years?” another youth wondered.
Ex-servicemen in the village felt the government should not “compromise the nation’s security and dreams of aspirants” by introducing such a short service programme in the defence force. “In our village, at least 200 boys cleared the physical and medical tests in the recruitment rally held in Tiruvannamalai in 2020. They are waiting for the written test. They were dejected after hearing about the scheme,” said J Murugan, who runs a training academy named after his brother J Tamilselvan, martyred in J&K three years ago.
Retired subedar major K Elumalai and retired havildar L Elumalai said the scheme posed several unanswered questions on the future of the recruits. They would be devoid of any benefits - pension, free medical care and army canteen facility - under the scheme. “The lack of clarity about the scheme is annoying everyone in the village,” said L Elumalai who served nearly six years in Rashtriya Rifles in Jammu & Kashmir in his 17 years of service in the Madras Engineer Group.
