Army issues notification for Agniveer recruitment amid protests against Agnipath
What's the story
The Indian Army on Monday issued a notification for the first round of recruitment through the Agnipath scheme. This comes even as thousands of armed forces aspirants are protesting against the Centre's new defense recruitment scheme. The notification said that the registration for the recruitment rallies will start in July and online registration is mandatory for all the job aspirants under the new model.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Officials claim that the Agnipath scheme will allow for much-needed young recruitment in the defense forces. Notably, the Indian Army and other defense forces' recruitment processes were suspended two years ago, leaving aspirants in a difficult situation. However, despite the Centre's announcement of certain amendments, the new program is drawing severe criticism from some quarters, leading to violent protests across many states.
Terms and conditions
What does the notification say?
"The registrations will be opened from July onwards by the respective Army Recruitment Offices (ARO) for Agniveer General Duty, Agniveer Technical, Agniveer Technical (aviation/ammunition examiner), Agniveer clerk/store keeper technical, Agniveer tradesman (10th pass) and Agniveer Tradesman (8th pass as per the ARO rally schedule)," the notification reads. The terms and conditions of service, eligibility, discharge, and other important information are mentioned in the notification.
Terms of service
Agniveers to form distinct rank in the Army
Agniveers would reportedly form a distinct rank in the Indian Army, different from any other existing ranks. Their service will commence from the date of enrollment and the release of an Agniveer at their own request before four years wouldn't be permitted. "However, in most exceptional cases, personnel enrolled under this scheme may be released, if sanctioned by the competent authority," the Army said.
Applications
New recruits to be subjected to Army Act, 1950
The new recruits will be subjected to the provisions of the Army Act, 1950, and will be liable to go wherever ordered. "These applications will be considered in a centralized manner by the Army based on objective criteria, including performance during their engagement period and not more than 25% of each specific batch of Agniveers will be enrolled in regular cadre," the release said.
Salary
Leaves, entitlements of Agniveers
The Agniveers will be granted 30 days' leave in a year. They will also be entitled to a medical leave based on medical advice. Also, 30% of the Agniveer's monthly salary will be mandatorily deposited in a corpus and an equal amount will be contributed by the government. Enrollment forms of personnel under 18 years of age need to be signed by parents/guardians.
Traffic snarls
Bharat Bandh chokes Delhi-NCR
Meanwhile, massive traffic snarls were witnessed across Delhi-NCR on Monday and over 80 trains were canceled as some organizations called for a Bharat Bandh to mark their protest against Agnipath. The Delhi-Gurugram Expressway was choked to capacity as the Delhi Police installed barricades at various checkpoints. Precautionary measures were taken at various railway stations across many states to prevent them from being vandalized.