Agnipath Is Here To Stay: PM Modi In Kargil

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (26 July) strongly defended the Agnipath Scheme for recruitment in the Armed forces.

During his visit to the Kargil war memorial in Dras, where he paid tribute to Indian soldiers on the 25th anniversary of the war with Pakistan, the Prime Minister also slammed the Opposition for politicising the issue of Armed forces recruitment

During his speech, PM Modi strongly backed the Agnipath Scheme, hinting that the Armed forces recruitment scheme is here to stay despite strong criticism from Opposition.

Addressing the gathering, PM Modi said, "The country has felt the need for major reforms in the defence sector for decades. The army has been demanding this for years, but unfortunately, it was not given enough importance earlier. In the last 10 years, we have made defence reforms a top priority in the defence sector. Due to these reforms, our armies are now more capable and becoming self-reliant".

"The country has addressed this important dream through the Agnipath scheme. The aim of Agnipath is to rejuvenate the Armed forces and keep them continually fit for war" he said.

"Unfortunately, such a sensitive issue related to national security has been made a subject of politics by some people. Some people are playing politics of lies on this reform of the army for their personal interests," PM Modi said, referring to demand from Opposition to scrap the Agnipath scheme.

"These are the same people who weakened our armed forces by committing scams worth thousands of crores of rupees in the armed forces. These are the same people who wanted the Air Force to never get modern fighter jets. These are the same people who had made preparations to lock the Tejas fighter plane in a box," he added.

"The truth is that the Agnipath scheme will increase the strength of the country and enable the capable youth of the country to come forward to serve the motherland," he said.

PM Modi further said that Agniveers will be given priority in the private sector and paramilitary forces after leaving the Armed forces.

He also slammed those claiming that the scheme was introduced to reduce the Armed forces pension expenditure.

"I am astonished by the mindset of some individuals. What has happened to their reasoning and intellect? Can someone explain to me the logic behind demanding pensions for those who join the service today during Modi's tenure? They will only receive their pensions after 30 years. By then, Modi will be 105 years old! Should Modi bear the brunt of criticism and abuses for pensions to be given at that time?" he said.

Slamming the Congress, PM Modi said, "Those who are misleading the youth of the country have a history that shows they do not care about the soldiers. These are the same people who lied about OROP by showing a meager amount of 500 crores. It is our government that implemented OROP and has given more than 1.25 lakh crore rupees to ex-servicemen".

The Agnipath scheme, introduced in 2022, allows for short-term induction of personnel into the armed forces, aiming to reduce the age profile of the three services.

Recruits under this scheme, known as Agniveers, are between 17.5 and 21 years old and serve for four years. The scheme includes a provision to retain 25 percent of these recruits for an additional 15 years, while the rest receive a financial package upon completing their service.

The announcement of the scheme led to violent protests in UP, Bihar and some other parts of the country, as many aspiring to join the armed forces opposed the short-term service plan.

The Centre has defended the Agnipath scheme, asserting that it enhances battle preparedness and balances youth and experience within the ranks.

Additionally, the Centre argues that the financial package provided to Agniveers after their service and the experience gained will benefit their future career prospects.

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