New Delhi: The government increased the upper age limit for recruitment under the Agnipath scheme from 21 years to 23 years for the year 2022 late night on Thursday. This was done amid widespread protests against the new recruitment scheme for enrolment of soldiers into the armed forces.
"Cognizant of the fact that it has not been possible to undertake the recruitment during the last two years, the government has decided that a one-time waiver shall be granted for the proposed recruitment cycle for 2022," a defence ministry spokesperson said. The upper age limit for the recruitment process under the Agnipath scheme for 2022 has been increased to 23 years, he added.
The protests, which kicked off in Bihar on Wednesday spread to other states including Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Trains were set afire, rail and road traffic disrupted, window panes of buses smashed, vehicles were burnt and instances of stone pelting were also reported. To contain these violent protests, the government and the state authorities had deployed security officials in heavy numbers, trains were rescheduled, and the internet was suspended.
Token protests were staged in the states of Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, and Jammu & Kashmir as well. The government had earlier stated on Tuesday that the entry age for all new recruits will be between 17 and a half and 21 years. The new recruitment scheme has been facing flak from military experts, aspirants and political leaders as well.
