PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
The ongoing Yatra of the ex-servicemen wing of Uttarakhand Congress against the Agnipath scheme reached Satpuli in Pauri district on Tuesday.
Addressing the Yatra, the Pradesh Congress Committee vice president Suryakant Dhasmana said that the Agnipath scheme is a major threat to the safety of the country and it is adversely impacting employment in Uttarakhand.
He said that from the beginning the Congress party has taken a stand against the scheme and Rahul Gandhi was the first leader of the country who had warned the people and government about its ill effects.
Dhasmana said that the enthusiasm of youth for joining the armed forces has declined considerably. He said that the Congress party has made a promise to the youth that when it comes to power, it will close down the Agnipath scheme and resume the earlier process of recruitment in the armed forces.
The president of the ex-servicemen wing of the party Colonel (retd) Ram Ratan Singh Negi said that the youngsters joining the army as Agniveers for a period of four years always remains insecure. He said that the Agniveer laying down their lives in the line of duty are not even given the status of martyrs. Negi elaborated on the difference between regular recruitment in armed forces and Agnipath scheme.
