Will scrap Agnipath scheme when we come to power: Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav. File
| Photo Credit: Sandeep Saxena

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav said on July 27 that the Agnipath recruitment scheme will be cancelled “as soon as we come to power”. The declaration comes a day after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced reservation for retired Agniveers in the U.P. Police.

“As soon as we come to power, the short-term ‘Agniveer’ military recruitment that compromises the security of the country and plays with the future of the soldiers will be cancelled within 24 hours. This is our demand on ‘Agniveer’. Old recruitment should be reinstated,” wrote Mr. Yadav on X (formerly Twitter).

Quota in jobs

Mr. Adityanath announced on July 26 that the State government would grant weightage to retired Agniveers in the State police and the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC)

.While campaigning for the Lok Sabha election, Mr. Yadav had repeatedly vowed to scrap the Agnipath scheme, under which youths are recruited in the Army, Navy and the Air Force, largely on a four-year contractual basis. The recruits under the scheme are known as Agniveers.

Also Read:Explained | The Agnipath scheme for armed forces

The Union Government unveiled the Agnipath scheme in 2022. The scheme bypasses many components such as long tenures, pension and other benefits present in the old mode of recruitment.