Thiruvananthapuram:

Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said on Friday that the central government had bought the Agnipath scheme with the right intentions, while adding that some people were restless due to a misunderstanding.

The Union Minister assured that the government is attentive to the concerns of young people and will do everything possible to respond to them.

“The government introduced the Agnipath program with the right intentions, maybe some people are agitated due to a misunderstanding. The government is sensitive to the citizens’ issues and today the age has been raised to 23 They should consider that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has always been attentive to the concerns of young people and will do everything possible to address them,” he said.

Demonstrations erupted in various parts of the country against the new recruitment program in the armed forces. In some places, protests turned violent when trains were set on fire.

One person died in Secunderabad, Telangana, on Friday as protests against recently announced military recruitment policy Agnipath turned violent.

Earlier, protesters set fire to compartments of a train at Samastipur in Bihar and those of another train at Lakhisarai station.

Notably, Agnipath Scheme was launched by the government on June 14 with the aim of bringing about a change in the recruitment process of the armed forces. With the new military recruiting system facing a backlash from opposition, the Center decided to make a change to the upper age limit for recruiting Agniveers.

Granting a one-time waiver, the Center announced on June 16, 2022 that the Agniveer upper age limit for hires through the Agnipath Scheme has been extended to 23 from 21.

The program is called Agnipath and young people selected under this program will be known as Agniveers. Agnipath allows young patriots and motivated to serve in the Armed Forces for a period of four years.

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