PM Modi defends Agnipath scheme, slams Opposition for ‘politicising national security issue’

Amid the controversy over the Agnipath Yojana Prime Minister PM Narendra Modi on Friday said that the goal of the scheme was to make the Army young and keep it continuously fit for warSome people used to think that the Army means saluting politicians and doing parades but for us the Army means faith for 140 crore citizens The goal of Agnipath is to make the army young and continuously fit for war he saidPM made the statement in Ladakh during his address on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Kargil Vijay DiwasModi added that the major reforms in the army have been a longstanding demand Highlighting the scheme PM Modi said The army has been demanding for reforms for years but unfortunately it was not given enough importance earlier The Agnipath scheme is an example of the necessary reforms in the Army For decades discussions have been going on in Parliament and many committees on making the army youngrdquoHe said that the average age of soldiers in India being higher than the global average has been a concern for the armed forces for decades and that the Agnipath scheme resolved this problemThe average age of Indian soldiers being more than the global average has been a cause of concern That is why this issue has also been raised in many committees for years However the will to solve this challenge related to the security of the country was not shown earlier The country has addressed this concern through the Agnipath scheme news agency ANI quoted the PMModi also criticised the opposition parties for politicising a sensitive issue related to national security and opposing the schemeUnfortunately some people have made such a sensitive issue related to national security a subject of politics For their own benefit they are doing politics of lies even on this reform meant for the army These are the same people who weakened our army by committing scams worth thousands of crores in the armed forces who wanted the Air Force to never get modern fighter jets and who had made preparations to scrap the Tejas fighter plane PM Modi said criticising the OppositionPM also rubbished the claims that the scheme was launched to save pension money being given to the Armed Forces Some people are also spreading the misconception that the government has come up with this scheme to save pension money However the question of pension for todays recruits will arise after 30 years Why would the government take a decision today he statedModi said his government has respected the decision taken by the forces as security of the country is paramount not politics Those who are misleading the youth of the countryhistory is witness to the fact that they do not care about the soldiers These are the same people who lied about One Rank One Pension by showing Rs 500 crore It is our government which implemented One Rank One Pension and gave more than Rs 125 lakh crore to exservicemen he addedHe further emphasised on the reforms made in the defence sector in the past decade and said In the past 10 years we have made defence reforms a top priority in the sector Owing to these reforms our armies are now more capable and becoming selfreliant Today a significant share of the defence procurement is being given to the defence industry Additionally 25 percent of the research and development budget in defence has been reserved for the private sector As a result of these steps Indias defence production has now exceeded Rs 125 lakh crorerdquoModi laid a wreath at Kargil War Memorial in Drass Ladakh to pay tribute to the brave hearts who made the supreme sacrifice in the 1999 Kargil WarHe also virtually carried out the first blast of the Shinkun La Tunnel project in Kargil The Shinkun La Tunnel Project consists of a 41kilometrelong twintube tunnel that will be constructed at around 15800 feet on the NimuPadumDarcha Road to provide an allweather connectivity to Leh a press release by the PMO stated The tunnel will not only ensure swift and efficient movement of our armed forces and equipment but also foster economic and social development in Ladakh Once completed it will be the highest tunnel in the worldWith ANI and PTI inputs