In a significant move to bolster the Agnipath Scheme, the governments of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, both ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have announced plans to absorb a majority of Agniveers into their respective state police forces.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma declared that the state government is committed to integrating most Agniveers from Assam into the Assam Police.
Taking to the microblogging platform X, Sarma emphasized Assam’s dedication to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of modernizing the Indian Army.
He criticized the Opposition for attempting to undermine the scheme, stating, “Bharat will ensure Opposition’s mission – to weaken the Indian Army by spreading lies on #AgnipathScheme – is defeated.”
Similarly, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu announced that his government would offer specialized training for local youths under the Agnipath Scheme.
The state will prioritize retired Agniveers for recruitment in the police, emergency, and fire services.
“The government of Arunachal Pradesh will facilitate training for local youths to prepare them for recruitment as Agniveers under the AGNIPATH scheme,” Khandu added.
The Agnipath Scheme, launched by the central government in 2022, recruits individuals aged 17.5 to 21 into the Army, Navy, and Air Force on a four-year contractual basis, conferring the title of Agniveers. After their service, 25% of recruits are eligible for regular appointments.
Additionally, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has reserved 10% of vacancies in Central Armed Police Forces for former Agniveers.
During the Kargil Vijay Diwas commemorations on July 26, the Congress party criticized Prime Minister Modi’s comments regarding the Agnipath Scheme.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge accused the Prime Minister of engaging in doing politics on a solemn occasion. “It is very unfortunate and deplorable that PM Narendra Modi-ji is doing petty politics even on occasions like paying tribute to martyrs on Kargil Vijay Diwas. No Prime Minister has ever done this before,” Kharge stated.
In his visit to the Kargil War Memorial in Dras, Prime Minister Modi defended the Agnipath Scheme, accusing the Opposition of politicizing national security.
“The Agnipath scheme is also an example of the necessary reforms done by the Army… Unfortunately, some people have made such a sensitive issue related to national security a subject of politics. These are the same people who weakened our Army by committing scams worth thousands of crores,” Modi had said.