The Agnipath scheme, termed as a historic and transformative measure by the government, has met unprecedented levels of agitations and protests in several states across India. On Monday, the agitation forced the Railways to cancel 181 Mail Express and 348 passenger trains. As the protests against the government over defence recruitment scheme Agnipath grow unabated, spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has appealed for peace while backing the government scheme.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar compared India's new military recruitment scheme to other countries. He appealed the protestors to resolve issues through dialogue without resorting to violence.
"This is an opportunity for the youth who have come out of the spirit of sacrifice and dedicated to protect the country. Do not be deceived, think it right and do the benefit of self and nation with the facilities and training available!" Sri Sri Ravi Shankar tweeted.
"I appeal to the students agitating in India to resolve their issues through dialogue. Let's ensure that the national assets are not damaged and fellow citizens are not harmed," he added.
The spiritual leader said the Agnipath scheme is better than what other countries have.
"Across the world, even in smaller countries like Switzerland and Singapore, one to two years of military service is mandatory. In comparison, India's new military service scheme is the best," he tweeted.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar also emphasised on the importance of educating the masses on new policies to curb fake news and misinformation.
"While government may conceive good policies and focus on their implementation as well as control, it is equally important to educate the general population on such policies. Lack of policy education foments misinformation and mistrust," Sri Sri tweeted.
Agnipath recruitment to begin June 24
The process for recruitment will begin on June 24. The IAF document lists the eligibility, educational qualification, medical standards, assessment, leave, remuneration, life insurance cover, etc., among many other factors.
As the recruitment process is also open to those below 18 years, the enrolment form will need to be signed by the parents for those aspirants who are below 18 years of age, the IAF notification said.
The IAF said apart from the age limit (17.5 years to 23 years this year and 17.5 years to 21 years from the next), the educational qualifications, physical, and medical standards required will be detailed later.
