UP Youth Congress demands immediate withdrawal of Agnipath scheme
Uttar Pradesh Youth Congress said the Agnipath scheme was neither in the interest of national security or the nation
Uttar Pradesh Youth Congress on Saturday urged the Central government to immediately withdraw the recently announced short-term recruitment scheme for the armed forces- Agnipath.
“We demand that the Agnipath scheme be withdrawn immediately,” said Uttar Pradesh Youth Congress organization co-incharge Varchasav Pandey, according to a press statement released here.
Pandey said the scheme was facing opposition across states and it was neither in the interest of national security or the nation.
Pandey said the state government had in the past retracted schemes after announcement.
“There should be no politics on issues concerning armed forces and national security and the scheme should be withdrawn immediately,” he added.
The Centre had on Tuesday unveiled the ambitious scheme for recruitment of the youth aged between 17.5 and 21 years in the Army, Navy and Air Force, largely on a four-year short-term contractual basis.
The youth recruited under the scheme will be known as “Agniveers”. After the completion of the four-year tenure, 25% of the recruits from each specific batch will be offered regular service. The move didn’t go down well with the youths who vented their ire against the scheme by pelting stones, setting trains ablaze, vandalising public property and blockading rail and roadways across the nation.