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Why Agnipath is making the Indian youth angry?

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The Agnipath scheme, announced on Tuesday, aims to recruit soldiers for the Army, Navy, and Air Force on four-year contracts.

Across the country, the youth are “displeased” with the Agnipath scheme.

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The move has enraged defence job seekers, who have taken to the streets in a number of locations across the country, particularly in Bihar.

More than a dozen defence force aspirants stopped a train at Nangloi Railway Station in outer Delhi on Thursday by lying down on the tracks.

According to police, around 15-20 people gathered at Nangloi Railway Station around 9.45 a.m. to protest a delay in railway recruitment exams as well as the Agnipath scheme in Delhi. According to police, they stopped a train from Jind in Haryana bound for Old Delhi.

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The scheme was implemented by the Centre, ostensibly to reduce the armed forces’ ballooning salary and pension bills and to create a more youthful profile.

It is true that rural youth unemployment is increasing, and MGNREGA jobs are becoming scarce, particularly after reverse migration following the unexpected and poorly planned pandemic-induced lockdown.

Job losses in cities, as well as falling wages in the informal and private sectors, have resulted in a large number of young people turning to exploitative gig economy jobs.

Government jobs are the only hope for the vast army of unemployed youth, particularly in rural India, whose families are also affected by rising food and fuel prices.

However, the Modi government has yet to fill lakhs of vacancies. Only this week, the government announced that 10 lakh vacancies would be filled in 1.5 years, which is far too little, far too late. Though a positive step, it is seen as the Modi government’s attempt to deflect Opposition criticism ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

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