As the nation is gripped by widespread protests against the Agnipath scheme for armed forces, Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande said the scheme would not be rolled back, adding the schedule of recruitment has been issued today.
He told AajTak, “No rollback of the Agnipath scheme. There will be positive changes and the scheme will be tweaked as required when it is rolled out.” General Pande also acknowledged that the lack of information about the scheme is leading to apprehensions among youngsters.
He also noted the scheme was a win-win for the youth, the Army, and the country. He also urged the aspirants to not get misled and to focus on preparations for the physical and written exam instead.
General Pande mentioned, “The youth of the country should understand that the Agnipath scheme is beneficial for them, the Army, and the country. This is a win-win, both for the Army and the nation. Do not be misled.”
Meanwhile, online registration for Agnipath scheme will open from July onwards. Candidates will have to log into the official Indian Army website for registration. Registrations will be open for Agniveer technical, Agniveer technical (aviation/ammunition examiner), Agniveer clerk/store keeper technical, Agniveer tradesman 10th pass, and Agniveer tradesman 8th pass, as per the ARO rally schedule.
Indian Navy said it will recruit women as sailors via the Agnipath scheme. These women sailors will be posted on board warships after their training is completed. This will be the first time that positions of Personnel Below Officers’ Rank (PBOR) will be open for women.
(With inputs from Poulomi Saha, AajTak)
Also read: Agnipath scheme: Massive traffic jams in Delhi due to Bharat Bandh; Cong protests
Also read: 'Skills gained by Agniveers make them eminently employable’: Anand Mahindra
Also read: ‘Hope other corporates will also join’: Harsh Goenka on recruitment of Agniveers