May suspend Agnipath recruitment as AAP government not supportive: Army
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led government in Punjab has been accused of not providing assistance for the recruitment rallies of soldiers under the Agnipath Scheme in a letter by Army's zonal officer, said The Indian Express report. The letter, dated September 8, recommended that the recruitment drive be suspended or relocated to other states until the Punjab government commits to supporting it.
Why does this story matter?
As the Agnipath scheme was announced, countrywide protests erupted against the scheme. Aspirants are opposed to the scheme fearing it will make enrolment into the Indian Armed Forces contractual with no pension or job security. Meanwhile, officials claim the scheme will allow for much-needed young manpower in the defense forces. Armed forces' recruitment processes were suspended two years ago citing the pandemic.
Army alleges lack of support from local administration
The local administration's assistance was "vacillating" for the recruitment rallies, according to an official letter obtained by The Indian Express. It also claimed that the reason may be "inadequacies due to lack of directions from the state government or lack of funds." The letter was addressed to Punjab Chief Secretary VK Janjua and another senior officer of the AAP administration, according to the report.
Facilities denied to the Agnipath recruitment rally
The army had requested the local government to facilitate the recruitment rally administratively and with police backup. It also asked the administration to provide food, toilets, rain shelters, and medical care to candidates. After a poor response, the army warned that it could opt to postpone the recruiting campaign or relocate it to other states until the local administration made a commitment for support.
Schedule of recruitment rallies in Punjab
According to reports, the army recruiting rallies were held in Ludhiana in August, and an army recruitment camp is presently underway in Gurdaspur (September 1-14), with another slated from September 17 to 30 in Patiala.
How did the AAP administration respond?
Meanwhile, Principal Secretary Employment Generation Kumar Rahul dismissed the letter's contents, claiming that certain concerns had arisen in Gurdaspur, but they were "nothing serious." "I have spoken to the General... He informed me of some issues at Gurdaspur, but it is nothing serious. Everything is alright and all measures are in place for smooth conduct of rallies," he told The Indian Express.
Agnipath marred with violent protests in June
In June, the central government introduced the military recruiting scheme for appointing personnel to the armed services for a four-year term. The scheme was purportedly designed to lower the forces' rising pension costs and to maintain the forces' youthful and tech-savvy. Later, protests against the new scheme erupted in many states, and in some areas the protests turned violent.
