Sanjeev Bikhchandani, co-founder of Info Edge which is parent of portals Naukri and Jeevan Sathi among others, spoke out in favour of Agnipath even as controversy over the army recruitment drive continued to rage.
The government had announced Agnipath for armed forces on June 14 under which youth between the age of 17 and a half and 21 and a half would be eligible to serve in the armed forces for a period of 4 years. The upper age limit under the scheme was later changed to 23 years, for the current year only.
The hired personnel will be called Agniveers and 25 per cent will be retained for 15 more years.
Bikhchandani tweeted: "I am willing to bet that many of the seventy five percent who don't stay in the armed forces long term will be very good talent for the private sector."
In the long thread, he also wrote that he was not putting out the tweets to support or oppose any political party or government.
This came as widespread protests continued to rage in the country against the scheme. In Bihar, the protests turned violent with agitators torching several trains and other vehicles. Trains across the country have been cancelled due to the protests.
Speaking in support of the controversial scheme, the co-founder of Info Edge said that the armed forces are 'very fine' institutions and a 'great training ground'. He tweeted, "If a person does four years of national service in the armed forces, he or she will finish as a disciplined and a trained professional with a college degree."
He also added, "He or she will have a sense of service and commitment who in his early to mid twenties can adapt and adjust and fit into any one of several careers - whether in the state police forces or the central security forces or even in the private sector."
Bikhchandani further tweeted that the candidates could also be hired in management jobs. According to him, India Inc has often engaged in conversations around hiring retired defence personnel in the private sector.
Comparisons with Israel, Singapore and US
He also compared the scheme with similar ones in Israel and Singapore: "We have seen youngsters in countries like Israel and Singapore do two years of service in the army after high school and then pursue successful careers outside of the defence forces and government."
He further drew a parallel with the US: "Every year the best MBA programmes in the best business schools in the US admit several students who have served for a few years in the US army. And they do swimmingly."
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