Protest over Agnipath scheme: Army aspirants voice concern, stage protests in Bihar, Jharkhand | Top points

New Delhi, Jun 16: Protests erupted in several parts of the country against the Agnipath Recruitment Scheme on Thursday, a day after the Centre announced the short-term recruitment plan to enlist young citizens into the armed forces.

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In Jharkhand, Prohibitions under Sec 144 CrPC continue to remain imposed in areas that were affected due to the violence in Ranchi on 10th June. Visuals from Main Road in Ranchi earlier this morning.

A protester in Bihar says "We demand that the recruitment be done as it used to be done earlier,Tour of Duty (ToD) be rolled back & exams be held as earlier. Nobody will go to Army just for 4 yrs"

Another protestor from Bihar's Jehanabad also told ANI, "Where will we go after working for only 4 years?... we will be homeless after 4 years of service. So we have jammed the roads; the country's leaders will now get to know that people are aware.''

"We work hard to get inducted into the Armed forces. How will the service be for 4 years, with months of training and leaves? How will we protect the nation after getting trained for just 3 years? Govt has to take back this scheme," said a protestor

On Wednesday, in Buxar district, more than 100 young men stormed the railway station and squatted on the tracks, blocking the onward journey of Patna-bound Janshatabdi Express for nearly 30 minutes.

The new recruitment plan aims to cut down government's massive salary and pension bills and free up funds for arms procurement.

Under the Agnipath scheme, about 45,000 people between the age of 17 and-a-half and 21 years will be inducted into the services for a four-year tenure.

During this period, they will be paid a monthly salary between ₹ 30,000-40,000 plus allowances. They will also be entitled to medical and insurance benefits.

After four years, only 25 per cent of these soldiers will be retained and they will go on to serve for a full 15 years in non-officer ranks. The remaining will exit the services with a package between ₹ 11 lakh - ₹ 12 lakh, but won't be eligible for pension benefits.

The protestors said that they have been waiting for regular recruitments for the armed forces to resume but the Centre has introduced the Agnipath scheme instead. Regular recruitment were halted two years ago due to the outbreak of the coronavirus disease.