Srinagar: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today vouched for the governmentโs decision to approve the new military recruitment โAgnipathโ scheme. He said it gives a โgolden opportunityโ to young people to join the defence forces and serve the country.
The โAgnipathโ scheme allows those selected under this scheme, known as โAgniveersโ, to serve in the armed forces for four years.
โThe Agnipath scheme by the central government gives a golden opportunity to the youth of the country to join the defence system and serve the country. โI am Agniveerโ with being their unique identity with freshness,โ he further added.
โDue to a snag in the recruitment process in the army for two years, many youths did not get the opportunity to join the army. This is a fact. That is why, keeping in mind the future of the youth and showing sensitivity towards them, with the approval of the Prime Minister, the government has decided that this time the age limit for the recruitment of Agniveers should be increased from 21 to 23 years,โ he said.
โThis one-time relaxation has been given by the government. This will automatically increase the eligibility of many young people to become Agniveers. The recruitment process is going to start in a few days. I appeal to all the youth to prepare for joining the army and take full advantage of it,โ Mr Singh added.
The Defence Minister is in Jammu and Kashmir for a two-day visit.
The โAgnipathโ scheme radically changes the recruitment process for the armed forces. But under fire from the opposition and amid protests over the new policy, the centre decided to change the upper age limit for recruiting โAgniveersโ.
Granting a one-time waiver, the centre announced that the โAgniveerโ upper age limit for recruitments via the โAgnipathโ scheme has been extended to 23 years from 21 years.
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