
India Inc has gone all out to support the new recruitment scheme for defence forces – Agnipath—which has sparked widespread protests across the nation. Corporate leaders like Mahindra Group boss Anand Mahindra, RPG Enterprises chairperson Harsh Goenka and Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran among others have come out in support of the scheme and also made hiring offers for Agniveers.
Mahindra Group chairperson Anand Mahindra was among the first India Inc bosses to voice his support for the Agnipath scheme. Mahindra stated he was “saddened by the violence” around the scheme, while adding the skills gained by Agniveers will make them “eminently employable” and that the Mahindra Group will recruit these young people.
While replying to a Twitter user, Mahindra said there is large potential to employ Agniveers in the corporate sector. He wrote, “Large potential for employment of Agniveers in the corporate sector. With leadership, teamwork and physical training, Agniveers provide market ready professional solutions to industry, covering the full spectrum from operations to administration and supply chain management.”
RPG Enterprises boss Harsh Goenka and Biocon Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw were quick to follow in Mahindra’s footsteps. Goenka said the RPG Group welcomes opportunities for employment of Agniveers and that he hopes other corporates will also join in.
He wrote, “The RPG Group too welcomes the opportunity to employ the Agniveers. I do hope other corporates will also join us to take this pledge and assure our youths of a future.”
Biocon Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw retweeted Goenka’s tweet and wrote, “I firmly believe that Agniveers will have a distinct advantage in recruitment in the industrial job market.”
Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries (RIL) also backed the scheme in a recent statement and called it a “path breaking initiative for the youth to get valuable opportunity to serve the nation while imbibing skills, discipline and more.”
It further said, “Reliance Industries has been engaging ex-servicemen from all the three forces and paramilitary in large numbers for decades now. We look forward to actively engaging the Agniveers and further strengthening our team.”
Apollo Hospitals Group Joint Managing Director Dr Sangita Reddy said, “I firmly believe the discipline and skills that Agniveers will gain will provide market-ready professional solutions for our industry. I sincerely hope our industry supports recruiting such capable young people.”
Serial entrepreneur and executive vice chairperson and founder of Info Edge Sanjeev Bikhchandani and FICCI President and Hindustan Unilever (HUL) CEO Sanjiv Mehta also welcomed the scheme. Bikhchandani explained in a series of tweets that if a person serves in the armed forces for four years, they will finish as a disciplined and trained professional with a college degree. He further said they will have a sense of service and commitment in early to mid-twenties and can adapt and adjust in any career.
Sanjiv Mehta also weighed in and said he was delighted with the scheme while adding that he would love to recruit young, disciplined and skilled people into HUL. He said, “As the CEO and MD of Hindustan Unilever, I would love to recruit trained, passionate, disciplined and skilled people. We might have to provide them some right kind of skilling for the kind of job they may undertake but this would become a great pool of talent.”
Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran also backed the Agnipath scheme, saying apart from providing youth with the opportunity to serve the defence forces; it will make available a very disciplined and trained workforce for industry, including the Tata Group.
Chandrasekaran said in a statement accessed by news agency PTI, “Agnipath is not just a great opportunity for the youth to serve the nation’s defence forces but it will also make available a very disciplined and trained youth for the industry including the Tata Group.” He also said, “We at the Tata Group recognise the potential of the Agniveers and welcome the opportunity this represents.”
JSW Group CEO and MD Sajjan Jindal claimed in a statement that negative elements in society are provoking youngsters against Agnipath. He noted, “I admire the foresight behind Agnipath and am confident that it is in the interest of our nation. For a young country like ours, having access to a larger pool of disciplined and educated young individuals- Agniveers available for recruitment by organisations is a boon.”
Citing examples of countries like Switzerland, Israel and Singapore, Jindal said that four years military training will groom individuals to get the best jobs available in the market. He added, “Values of nationalism and discipline taught by the military build character and strength of a nation… Don’t we all feel safer around our strong and disciplined armed services men?”
Centre announced the Agnipath scheme for recruitment of youth into the Army, Navy and Air Force last week. Selected applicants will be known as Agniveers and will be enrolled under respective Services Aact for four years.
(With PTI inputs)