Page 5 - The Indian EYE 062422

BIG STORY JUNE 24, 2022 | The Indian Eye 5

Agnipath agitators vandalised the
Secunderabad railway station prem-
ises in Hyderabad and set ablaze a
train during a protest against the Ag-
nipath scheme. The protestors also
vandalised the windows of a train and
torched a two-wheeler on tracks and a
few bags on the platform.
Meanwhile, as the Central gov-
ernment is yet to announce the offi-
cial date of commencement of the
Agnipath scheme, Indian Army chief
General Manoj Pande on Friday said
that the training of first Agniveers will
begin in December 2022 and the ac-
tive service will commence in the mid-
dle of 2023.
In an interview, the Indian Army
chief said, “Recruitment process is
going to begin soon. Within the next
two days, a notification will be issued
on the official website. After that our
Army recruitment organisations will
declare a detailed schedule of regis- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and
tration and rally...” “As far as the ques- Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande during a joint press conference regarding the announcement of Agneepath Recruitment Scheme, at
tion of Agniveers going to recruitment the National Media Centre, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (ANI Photo/ Amlan Paliwal)
training centres is concerned, the
training of first Agniveers will begin
this December (in 2022) at the cen-
tres. The active service will commence
in the middle of 2023,” he added.
The Ministry of Defence, in its
statement on Tuesday, said that the
Agnipath scheme has been designed
to enable a youthful profile of the
Armed Forces. It will provide an op-
portunity to the youth who may be
keen to don the uniform by attract-
ing young talent from the society who
are more in tune with contemporary
technological trends and plough back
skilled, disciplined and motivated
manpower into the society.
Highlighting that the recruit-
ment process in the Indian Army was
affected due to the COVID-19 pan- The Indian Army plans to become younger and trimmer with the new policy Protestors raise slogans during a demon-
demic for the last two years, Union (ANI Photo/ ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY Twitter) stration against the Agnipath Recruitment
Scheme for the Armed Forces, at the
Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday Agra-Delhi national highway, in Mathura on
thanked the government for approv- puram (Trivandrum), South West- agencies are keeping a close watch on Friday. (ANI Photo)
ing the ‘Agnipath’ scheme for the ern Air Command at Gandhinagar, social media, especially WhatsApp
benefit of the youth of the country. Training Command at Bengaluru groups that are spreading misinfor-
Now, Indian Air Force chief, and Maintenance Command at Nag- mation and provoking students on have been created in the past few
Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari pur. The largest airbase is in Hindon, the Agnipath recruitment scheme. days where a lot of misinformation
will be visiting six forward bases on Uttar Pradesh. They have also asked state po- has been spread regarding the re-
Friday where he would address the Indian Air Force on Friday ap- lice to keep watch on anti-social el- cruitment scheme. We are working
troops and discuss the details of the preciated the government for in- ements joining the protest to target closely with the state police and keep-
Agnipath entry scheme. creasing the upper age limit to 23 police and public property. A senior ing them updated with any develop-
The aim is to explain the details from 21 for recruitment under the official said that the staff working on ing law and order situation,” he said.
of the scheme to the last man in the Agnipath scheme for the year 2022. the ground have been instructed to He added that they are in coor-
force, IAF said in its official state- In a virtual address, the Indian keep watch on social media accounts dination with local police to identify
ment today. Notably, the Air Force Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal of coaching institutes for defence anti-social elements joining the pro-
currently has over 60 air stations all VR Chaudhari said, “Happy to an- exam preparation and approach lo- test to create violence.
over India. These are grouped into nounce that the upper age limit (for cal police to talk to owners of these As violent protests continue, in
seven commands: Western Air Com- recruitment) has been revised to 23 institutes and make them appeal to Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and
mand at New Delhi, Eastern Air years. This will benefit the youth. students to maintain peace and clar- Madhya Pradesh over the Agnipath
Command at Shillong, Central Air The recruitment process for Indian ify their doubts on Agnipath recruit- scheme, the Modi government faces
Command at Prayagraj, and South- Air Force will begin on June 24.” ment scheme. one of the biggest challenges in its
ern Air Command at Thiruvanantha- Amid the violence, intelligence “Hundreds of WhatsApp groups second term.

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