Youth angry with Agnipath scheme; give them full-term jobs, not four years: Kejriwal to Centre

NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday came out in support of defence job aspirants protesting against the Agnipath scheme and appealed to the central government to give them the chance to serve the country throughout their life, not just four years. The Agnipath scheme, announced on Tuesday, seeks to recruit soldiers in the Army, Navy and the Air Force on a short-term contract of four years.

"Appeal to the central government: Youth should be given the chance to serve the country their whole life, not four years. Those who became overage due to lack of recruitment in the Army in the last two years should also be given a chance," Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi. Kejriwal added that the youth are "unhappy" and opposing the Agnipath scheme across the country. The move has drawn the ire of defence job aspirants, who have taken to the streets in a number of places across the country, especially in Bihar.

सेना भर्ती में केंद्र सरकार की नई योजना का देश में हर तरफ़ विरोध हो रहा है। युवा बहुत नाराज़ हैं। उनकी माँग एकदम सही हैं।

सेना हमारे देश की शान है, हमारे युवा अपना पूरा जीवन देश को देना चाहते हैं, उनके सपनों को 4 साल में बांधकर मत रखिए।

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— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 16, 2022

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More than a dozen defence force aspirants on Thursday stopped a train at Nangloi Railway Station in outer Delhi by lying down on tracks. "The central government's new scheme in Army recruitment is being opposed everywhere in the country. The youth are very angry. Their demands are right. The Army is the pride of our country, our youth want to give their whole life to the country, don't restrict their dreams to 4 years," Kejriwal said in a series of tweets.

In Delhi, according to police, around 15-20 people gathered at Nangloi Railway Station around 9.45 am to protest against a delay in railway recruitment examinations and also against the Agnipath scheme. They stopped a train which was bound for Old Delhi from Jind in Haryana, police said. The Centre has brought in the scheme to cut the ballooning salary and pension bills and carve out a youthful profile of the armed forces.

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