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Kerala Kaumudi Online
Friday, 29 March 2024 9.26 PM IST

Agnipath and protest

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The Armed Forces is one of the most important and disciplined units in the country. It is an area where politicization has not penetrated at all. It is led by expert and heroic chiefs. The country is immensely reaping the benefits from this. The Army has a system of permanent appointments and pensions. That is about to change with the launch of the Agnipath scheme. Over time, changes will be required in any organization or system. An army with a large number of elderly people is not desirable for any country. One of the biggest problems facing China is the increasing number of elder soldiers. An increase in the number of young people in the military, the judiciary and politics is a change that time demands. While the younger generation quickly adapts to new technologies, the older generation needs more time and effort. The Department of Defence formed the Agnipath by keeping this in mind.


Agnipath is a process designed to bring in young soldiers to face the security challenges that the country might face in the future.
Through this scheme, the government plans to recruit 46,000 people in the land, navy and air forces within 90 days. The authorities should have considered the current situation in the country while determining the age limit for this. Only those between the ages of 17.5 and 21 were eligible to apply. The permanent recruitment to the army had been at a standstill for the last two years due to the pandemic. The main reason for the protests was that those who could not apply then were not even considered. Recognizing this error, the Union Cabinet immediately raised the age limit to 23 this year.

Most of the army recruits come from northern states such as UP, Bihar, Haryana, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. In such states, every middle-class family will have at least one member in the army. The authorities should have avoided the situation where those who had been waiting for the last two years from such families could no longer apply. The central government has now corrected it. It has to be doubted if many others have infiltrated behind the attempt to create an atmosphere of riots in the country by burning trains and carrying out widespread violence. Thirty percent of the central budget is earmarked for defence. The lion's share of this is spent on salaries and pensions. As the world changes, so do the need for change in the military. Especially in the acquisition of modern warfare equipment and technology. The Agnipath project should not be withdrawn for any reason on the ground that some people have taken to the streets. Meanwhile, the government should try to address the concerns of the protesters by explaining that regular recruitment will continue.

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