New Delhi: Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran, who joined the list of industry leaders in supporting the Centre’s Agnipath scheme, recognised the potential of the Agniveers and welcomed the opportunity it represents in the industry on Monday. Chandrasekaran stressed that apart from the opportunity for the youth to serve the defence forces, it will also make available a very disciplined and trained workforce for the industry, including the Tata group, reported news agency PTI.
Other business leaders such as Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra, RPG Enterprises Chairman Harsh Goenka, Biocon Ltd Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, and Apollo Hospitals Group Joint Managing Director Sangita Reddy have also expressed support for the scheme.
ALSO READ: Agnipath Protests: Bharat Bandh Fails To Evoke Much Response, Over 600 Trains Cancelled | Key Points
“Agnipath is not just a great opportunity for the youth to serve the nation’s defence forces but it will also make available a very disciplined and trained youth for the industry, including the Tata Group,” Chandrasekaran said in a statement.
The chairman also added, “We at the Tata group recognize the potential of the Agniveers and welcome the opportunity this represents.”
Since the launch of the military scheme, protests were witnessed in several states, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Telangana. The Indian Railways had to bear the brunt of the violence with more than 500 trains being cancelled due to nationwide protests.
The Agnipath scheme, announced on June 14, offers recruitment to youth between the ages of 17-and-half years to 21 for only four years with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them, while the rest would retire without gratuity and pension benefits. The government has extended the upper age limit to 23 years for recruitment in 2022.
The three service chiefs are scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday to brief him about the Agnipath recruitment scheme.