Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that many decisions of the government may seem unpleasant at first, but will subsequently benefit the nation.
Modi’s remarks came amid violent protests across India against the Centre’s Agnipath scheme, which provides for short-term recruitment into the armed forces. The scheme was announced by the government on June 14.
“Many decisions, many reforms, in the present may seem unpleasant,” Modi said during a public address in Bengaluru on Monday. “But over time, the entire country experiences the benefits of it. Only the path of reforms can take us to new milestones.”
He, however, did not directly refer to the Agnipath scheme.
Since June 15, violent protests have taken place in several states against the new military recruitment plan. At many places, agitators burnt and vandalised railway property, blocked train tracks and clashed with officials. In Bihar alone, 60 train coaches have been burnt and property worth about Rs 700 crore has been damaged.
At least 1,238 persons have been arrested across India for allegedly taking part in these protests. While 805 arrests were made in Bihar, 387 people were arrested in Uttar Pradesh and 46 in Telangana’s Secunderabad.
Under the Agnipath scheme, citizens aged between 17-and-a-half and 21 years will be eligible to apply. Of these recruits, 25% will be eligible to apply as regular personnel after they complete their four-year service.
The protestors are demanding permanent recruitment under the regular process as well as pension and other retirement benefits that are not a part of the Agnipath scheme.
In a bid to contain the outrage, the Union government has increased the age limit for recruitment in the armed forces under the scheme to 23 years for this year. It has also announced a 10% reservation for Agnipath recruits in the jobs offered by the home and defence ministries.
On Sunday, Lieutenant General Anil Puri, who is the additional secretary in the department of military affairs, said that there will be no rollback of the Agnipath scheme.
He added that aspirants have to pledge that they did not take part in any violence, arson or protests against the government.
If aspirants are found to have first information reports registered against them, then the defence ministry will not recruit them, Puri said.
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