Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh, on Wednesday, hailed the Prime Minister’s Agnipath announcement for giving an opportunity to youths to serve the armed forces. “The first set of Agniveers is all set to enroll in the next six months. Selected youngsters will undergo basic 16 weeks’ training, followed by two weeks of sea training. The Indian Navy will give equal opportunity to men and women who meet the eligibility criteria,” said Vice Admiral Ajendra Singh.
The aim is to recruit a younger, fit and motivated diverse profile of both men and women to face future challenges. It is envisaged that with the scheme’s implementation, the average age profile of the Indian armed forces would come down by about four to five years.
Speaking at the Western Naval Headquarters, Naval Dockyard, on Wednesday, Vice Admiral Singh said, “The Ministry of Home Affairs will give priority to Agniveers who complete four years under Agnipath in recruitment of Central Armed Police Forces and Assam Rifles. Indian Navy will induct up to 25 per cent of the best Agniveers in the regular services after their tenure. We would get a ready trained pool of youth who would easily fit in the navy,” Singh added.
Critics have, however, raised concerns over the high number of weapons-trained youth getting unemployed after completion of four years. “Imagine the unemployed weapons-trained youth taking up arms against the state after completion. Don’t forget the unemployed jawans after retirement at 35 picked up arms in Punjab and took to terrorism,” cautioned Kargil veteran Major Vikram Bakshi.
Another critic of the scheme, retired naval commander Pradeep Singh scoffed at the Bollywood-inspired name Agnipath. “It is indicative of a deeper problem in our thinking about the defence of India. More men, especially less trained ones, will not help India win future wars. A technologically sophisticated, better equipped leaner military is what India needs,” averred retired naval officer Pradeep Singh.
(To receive our E-paper on whatsapp daily, please click here. To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
