Agnipath: Harsh Goenka, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw join Anand Mahindra to back the scheme

The Agnipath Scheme involves an 'All India All Class' basis recruitment procedure for people below the rank of officer, to achieve the aim of deploying young men and women on a four-year contractual basis.

25 percent of Agniveers would be retained for regular service of 15 years.

The scheme that got announced on June 14 triggering violent protests has an age bracket of 17.5 years - 21 years. The maximum age was later changed to 23 for this year's recruitment, as per media reports.

In his response to Mahindra's tweet, Goenka said, "The RPG group too welcomes the opportunity to employ the Agniveers. I do hope other corporates will also join us to take this pledge and assure our youths of a future."

Expressing similar thoughts, Mazumdar-Shaw said, "I firmly believe that Agniveers will have a distinct advantage in recruitment in the industrial job market."

            I firmly believe that Agniveers will have a distinct advantage in recruitment in the industrial job market. https://t.co/BLDNWi3VwB

            — Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (@kiranshaw) June 20, 2022

TVS Motor Company MD Sudarshan Venu on Friday said that the Agnipath scheme would have a highly positive impact on the society, and contribute immensely towards nation building.

“If a person does four years of national service in the armed forces he or she will finish as a disciplined and a trained professional with a college degree."

Such people will be very valued in the private sector, he added.

Joint Managing Director at Apollo Hospitals Group Sangita Reddy tweeted, "I firmly believe the discipline & skills that #Agniveers will gain will provide market-ready prof sol 4 R industry I sincerely hope r industry support recruiting such capable young people..."

The support of top echelons in the corporate world began with Anand Mahindra tweeting, "Saddened by the violence around the #Agneepath program. When the scheme was mooted last year, I stated & I repeat, the discipline & skills Agniveers gain will make them eminently employable. The Mahindra Group welcomes the opportunity to recruit such trained, capable young people."

Saddened by the violence around the #Agneepath program. When the scheme was mooted last year I stated-& I repeat-the discipline & skills Agniveers gain will make them eminently employable. The Mahindra Group welcomes the opportunity to recruit such trained, capable young people

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) June 20, 2022

In the past week, protests broke out in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana and Telangana against the Centre's radical scheme.

Indian Railways had to cancel 500 plus trains due to the unrest and arson caused by protests in various parts of India.

In response to the protests, the Centre gave multiple assurances, including preference to Agniveers in government posts and paramilitary forces, according to media reports.