Agnipath transformative policy, game changer in making armed forces future-ready: PM Modi

Addressing the first batch of Agniveers Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asserted that Agnipath a shortterm military employment scheme is a transformative policy and a game changer in strengthening the armed forces and making them futurereadyA statement said PM Modi in his virtual address congratulated them on being the pioneers of this pathbreaking scheme which he noted will further empower women He said the young Agniveers will make the armed forces more youthful and techsavvyTechnologicallyadvanced soldiers will play a key role in our armed forces he said adding that the current generation of youth especially has this potential and Agniveers will play a leading role in the forces in the times to comeThe prime minister said new India is filled with renewed vigour and efforts are underway to modernise the armed forces as well as make them aatmanirbhar selfreliant In the 21st century the way wars are fought is changing he said speaking about the new fronts of contactless warfare and challenges of cyber warfareLauding their potential he said their spirit is reflective of the bravery of the armed forces which has always kept the flag of the nation flying high The experience they will acquire through this opportunity will be a source of pride for life he addedHailing the potential of youth and Agniveers Prime Minister concluded by saying that they are the ones who are going to provide leadership to the nation in the 21st century the statement quoting PM Modi saidAlso Read PM Modi flags off Vande Bharat train service between SecunderabadVizag hails its Made in IndiaHe said Agnipath will further empower women and expressed happiness at how women Agniveers are adding pride to naval forcesThe prime minister said he looks forward to seeing women Agniveers in all three forces noting that they are leading armed forces on various fronts and cited examples of women posted in Siachen and driving modern fighter planesDefence Minister Rajnath Singh was also present at the interactionUnder the Agnipath scheme announced on June 14 last year the three services are recruiting youths between the age bracket of 17andhalf years and 21 years for four years with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for 15 more yearsFor 2022 the upper age limit was raised to 23 yearsOpposition parties have criticised the exercise but the government has said it will make the armed forces more youthful and cater to its current needsIn his speech PM Modi told the recruits that getting posted in different regions will give them an opportunity to get diverse experiences and they should try to learn different languages cultures and ways of livingHe said that teamwork and the honing of leadership skills will add a new dimension to their personality He exhorted Agniveers to remain curious about learning new things while simultaneously working on bettering their skills in the fields of their choiceThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever