Assam will absorb majority of Agniveers from state: Himanta Sarma
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has announced that his government would absorb the majority of the state's Agniveers into the Assam police force. The decision comes amid a verbal spat between opposition leaders and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government after Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the former of spreading misconceptions regarding the scheme. Backing PM Modi, Sarma wrote that "Bharat will ensure Opposition's mission—to weaken the Indian Army by spreading lies on #AgnipathScheme—is defeated."
Why does this story matter?
The Agnipath scheme recruits individuals aged 17-and-a-half to 21 into the Army, Navy, and Air Force for short-term engagements, with a provision to retain 25% of them for another 15 years. However, its implementation has ignited debates, with opposition parties like the Congress questioning the career prospects of the 75% of Agniveers not retained after their four-year term. Even Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) allies such as the Lok Janshakti Party and Janata Dal (United) had called for the scheme's review.
PM Modi clarifies purpose of Agnipath scheme amid controversy
The debate over the scheme heated up again on Friday, when PM Modi accused the opposition of playing politics on a "sensitive issue" while addressing a gathering on Kargil Vijay Diwas. "They are spreading the misconception that the government has come up with this scheme to save pension money...For today's recruits, the question of pension will arise after 30 years," he stated. "We have respected this decision taken by the Army because we work for rashtraneeti not rajneeti," he added.
Opposition leader accuses PM Modi of misrepresenting Agnipath scheme
Disagreeing with PM Modi's remarks, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused him of lying about implementing the Agnipath scheme at the Army's request, calling it an "unforgivable insult" to the forces. Kharge referred to former Army chief General MM Naravane's description of the scheme as a "bolt out of the blue" for Navy and Air Force in his yet-to-be-published book. He also highlighted criticisms from retired officers who believe that the scheme endangers national security and rural youth aspirations.
Kharge questions training duration, highlights lack of benefits for Agniveers
Kharge further questioned whether six months of training is sufficient to create professional soldiers and pointed out that soldiers join out of patriotism, not for a livelihood. He also drew attention to the lack of benefits for Agniveers, stating, "Agniveers do not get any pension, no gratuity, no family pension, no liberalised family pension and no education allowance for their children. 15 Agniveers have been martyred so far. At least respect their martyrdom."
