Video Producer: Maaz Hasan
Video Editor: Abhishek Sharma
I am a defence aspirant and my army written exam was due, but that has now been cancelled. I was recruited via the March 2021 process. My pre-medical test was conducted in August, after which the written examination got delayed through no fault of my own. And now, they have been cancelled after the introduction of the new recruitment scheme, Agnipath.
I had cleared all my exams for the air force and all that remained was the joining. But now, that too has been cancelled.
If any new scheme is introduced, there is always a transition phase, so that old schemes can slowly be phased out and the new ones can replace them smoothly. It isn't fair to roll out a new scheme overnight.
"I prepared for two and a half years for the recruitment into the army. Took me two and a half years to clear the physical test. It isn't that easy to clear that."
'A Contractual Job for 4 Years?'
The government, under the Agnipath scheme, proposes hiring jawans for a period of four years, followed by compulsory retirement for the majority of jawans. Also, there are no benefits like the ones that ex-servicemen get. What sort of a scheme is this?
You say that the job is for four years, but what will we do after that? Promises are being made that job quotas would be provided to us after that. What kind of skill is developed in the armed forces? No skill that can be used in corporate jobs is developed here.
"The chairman of Mahindra Group tweeted that he would give preference to Agniveers. Where will you give them preference, sir? What would Mahindra company hire them for, as technicians? Those who operate tanks, machine guns, or any other weapon of the army, or air defence, won't be able to become technicians."
They will become security guards, and this is a scheme meant to make a factory of security guards. Private companies will get trained security guards. For four years, the army will train them with their own money, and then, they would be gifted to the private sector.
It is also being said that jobs would be provided to them. If those who had retired earlier are not getting jobs, then how will you give jobs to Agniveers?
"Let me tell you about the case of my father. My father fought the Kargil war. He was a part of Operation Vijay and Operation Meghdoot. My father served in the topmost regiment of the Indian Army. And when he retired, he was jobless for 3 years. After 3 years, he got a job as a security guard at a bank."
'What About Peaceful Protests?'
I agree that violence took place in the country – trains were put on fire, and that is not right. But peaceful protests also took place. For a year, we have been demanding that they conduct our exam.
The Quint had also done the story in which we demanded that our exams be conducted. We have worked so hard for our physical tests. We practise so much, and in one go, we are being told that everything is cancelled. This isn't fair.
"Please take back this scheme and conduct our army exam and air force enrolment. We have worked very hard. All our efforts will go in vain."
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