New Delhi: The Indian Army on Wednesday rejected claims in social media posts that compensation hasn't been paid to the next of kin of Agniveer Ajay Kumar who lost his life in the line of duty and said his family has already been given Rs 98.39 lakh out of the due amount.
The total amount will be Rs 1.65 crore approximately, it said in the "clarification" that came after Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi shared on X a video purportedly of Ajay's father who stated that they had not received any money.
Gandhi cited Ajay's case to allege in his post that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has "lied" in Parliament about the issue of compensation to families of martyred Agniveers and demanded an apology for it.
Singh, while intervening when Gandhi was speaking on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address in Lok Sabha, had said on Monday that an Agniveer who lays down his life in the line of duty gets a compensation of Rs 1 crore.
The minister's rebuttal had come after Gandhi criticised the Agnipath scheme, saying the government does not even give Agniveers the status of a "shaheed" (martyr) and that no compensation is extended to their families if they are killed in action.
In a post on 'X', the additional directorate general of public information of the Army said on Wednesday that the Indian Army "salutes the supreme sacrifice made by Agniveer Ajay Kumar" and emphasised that the emoluments due to a fallen hero are paid expeditiously to the next of kin of departed soldiers, including Agniveers.
"Certain posts on the social media have brought out that compensation hasn't been paid to the next of kin of Agniveer Kumar who lost his life in the line of duty," it wrote.
"It is emphasised that the Indian Army salutes the supreme sacrifice made by Agniveer Ajay Kumar. The last rites were carried out with full military honours. Of the total amount due, the family of Agniveer Ajay has already been paid Rs 98.39 lakhs," the Army said in the post.
"Ex-gratia and other benefits amounting to approximately Rs 67 lakhs, as applicable according to the provisions of the Agniveer Scheme, will be paid on Final Account Settlement shortly post due Police verification.
"The total amount will be Rs 1.65 cr approximately. It is re-emphasised that emoluments due to a fallen hero are paid expeditiously to the next of kin of departed soldiers, including Agniveers. #IndianArmy," it added. The Office of Raksha Mantri later posted on X, "Indian Army is committed to the welfare of Agniveers!" and shared the ADGPI's post.
According to officials, the total amount to be eventually paid includes Rs 48 lakh as insurance from the government of India; Rs 50 lakh as insurance from financial institutions under an MoU; and Rs 39,000 additional sum, and all of these have been paid in case of Agniveer Ajay.
It also includes an ex gratia amount of Rs 44 lakh and an army welfare fund of Rs 8 lakh. Balance of pay till completion of his tenure stands at Rs 13 lakh (approximately) and Seva Nidhi Rs 2.3 lakh. A total of 67.3 lakh will be paid after due process, they said.
The Agnipath scheme, announced on June 14, 2022, provides for the recruitment of youths between the age bracket of 17-and-half years and 21 for only four years, with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for 15 more years. The government extended the upper age limit to 23 years later that year.
In his video message on Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi said that he had stated in his speech in Parliament that the protection of truth is the basis of every religion. "In reply, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, before Lord Shiva's photo, lied to the country, its armed forces and Agniveers about compensation," Gandhi said.
He referred to the purported statement by Ajay's father that Rajnath Singh made the statement that families of martyrs have been given Rs 1 crore compensation but no such assistance had been received by his family. Gandhi said the defence minister had "lied" to the family of martyr Ajay, the armed forces and the youth of the country, and must apologise to them.
The Union minister had asked Gandhi not to mislead Parliament and also requested Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to expunge the former Congress president's claims on the Agnipath scheme.
Intervening, the defence minister had said, "I would like to humbly request the leader of the opposition not to try to mislead Parliament. Regarding the Agniveer scheme, direct communication was established with many people, 158 organisations, their suggestions were taken, then this Agniveer scheme was brought. This scheme has been brought after a lot of thought."
After Singh's rebuttal, Gandhi said, "Rajnath Singh has an opinion and I have an opinion but Agniveers know the truth. Agniveers know what they have to face." Sharing Rahul Gandhi's video, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said when he raised the issue of Agniveer from the opposition side, the BJP government "lied" in Parliament.
"The BJP is insulting the sacrifice of the families who gave up their sons for the country by telling lies. Is this the nationalism of the BJP? The prime minister should apologise to the public for lying to the country and insulting the martyrs," she said in a post in Hindi on X.
