PM Modi double downs on defence of Agniveer scheme amid oppn broadside

PM Modi pays tribute to Kargil war heroes in Drass.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the Agnipath scheme is an example of reforms in the defence sector.

He was addressing a gathering at Kargil War Memorial in Drass.

"For decades, it was discussed how to make the Armed forces young. Aim of Agnipath is to make forces young and battle ready. Unfortunately, some are doing politics on this. Stop the sin of misleading our forces," said the PM .

Without naming anyone, PM Modi criticised those who have misled the public about the Agnipath scheme. He also recalled that these critics had previously made false promises about implementing the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme with a Rs 500-crore rupee.

The PM said some people used to think that the Army meant saluting politicians, doing parades.  "But for us, the Army means the faith of 140 crore countrymen. The goal of Agnipath is to make the Army young, to keep the Army continuously fit for war. 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 in the Army..."

According to the PM,  his regime had successfully implemented the One Rank One Pension scheme providing over Rs  1.25 lakh crore to retired soldiers.

The PM laid a floral wreath at the Drass War Memorial to pay tributes to officers and soldiers of the armed forces. On July 26, 1999, the  Army announced the success of "Operation Vijay". It   reclaimed the positions occupied by Pakistani infiltrators on the Indian side of the LoC in the Kargil sector after a nearly three-month-long battle in Ladakh. The day is observed as "Kargil Vijay Diwas" to commemorate India's victory.

Opposition reacts

Congress leader Karti Chidambaram criticised the PM for defending the Agnipath scheme at an event to honour the Kargil War soldiers.  "Agniveer scheme should be scrapped. Modern warfare requires fully-trained soldiers, and the scheme does not give full-trained soldiers. The Agniveer scheme does not solve the needs of the Army," Chidambaram told NDTV.

Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said that the government needs to mention what will happen to the Agniveers once they retire after a four-year service. "PM is saying that we are spreading confusion. He is speaking about what will happen after 30 years. He should talk about what will happen after 4 years to these agniveers," Randhawa said.

The Agnipath scheme was launched in 2022 to recruit personnel for short-term service in the armed forces. It was aimed at reducing the age profile across the services. These recruits, known as Agniveers, do not currently qualify for regular benefits such as pensions for their families in the event of their death in service.