Over the past week, protests have raged across the country against the central government’s proposed Agnipath scheme. They have been particularly violent in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana and Telangana, states which contribute significant manpower to the armed forces. The government has made two changes in response – it has raised the enrollment age limit to 23 from 21 initially and offered Agniveers a 10 percent quota in some government jobs – but insisted that it would not roll back the scheme.
Under the scheme, men aged between 17.5 and 23 would be recruited to the armed forces for a four-year service, including the training period. Once the four-year period ended, 25 percent of these “Agniveers” would be reenlisted.
