Chief of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday claimed that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lied about Agniveer’s compensation and that he ought to apologise to the nation. He additionally aired an interview of martyred agniveer Ajay Kumar’s father who mentioned he had not acquired any compensation from the military.
Nonetheless, the Military rejected Rahul Gandhi’s declare, saying the household of Ajay had already been paid Rs 98.39 lakhs and Rs 67 lakhs extra can be paid after police verification. “Ex-Gratia and different advantages amounting to roughly 67 lakhs, as relevant based on the provisions of the Agniveer Scheme, can be paid on Ultimate Account Settlement shortly publish due Police verification. The whole quantity can be Rs 1.65 Cr roughly,” the military mentioned.
The military additional mentioned that it salutes the supreme sacrifice made by Agniveer Ajay Kumar. “The final rites have been carried out with full Navy Honours…It’s re-emphasised that emoluments attributable to a fallen hero are paid expeditiously to the Subsequent of Kin of departed troopers, together with Agniveers,” the navy added.
Rahul Gandhi raised the Agniveer’s compensation problem in his maiden speech as LoP in Lok Sabha on Monday, drawing speedy response from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The LoP mentioned the federal government regards Agniveers as “use-and-throw labourers” and doesn’t even give them the standing of a “shaheed (martyr)”
“Agniveer is a use-and-throw labor. One jawan is getting a pension, whereas one other just isn’t. You might be making a divide between jawans,” the LoP claimed.
Rajnath Singh rejected his declare, saying an Agniveer who lays down his life within the line of obligation will get a compensation of Rs 1 crore.
Earlier this 12 months, agniveer Ajay Singh misplaced his life in a landmine blast alongside the Line of Management (LoC) within the Nowshera sector of J&Okay’s Rajouri.
In a separate incident, the household of an Agniveer from Maharashtra who died within the line of obligation final 12 months has mentioned they’ve acquired help of Rs 1.08 crore from the federal government. Agniveer Akshay Gawate, native of Pimpalgaon Sarai in Maharashtra’s Buldhana district, died within the line of obligation in Siachen on October 21, 2023.
Based on PTI, his father Lakshman Gawate mentioned that after Akshay Gawate’s loss of life, the household acquired “Rs 48 lakh as his insurance coverage cowl, Rs 50 lakh from the central authorities and Rs 10 lakh from the state authorities.” He additionally demanded a authorities job for Akshay’s sister.
The Agnipath scheme, introduced on June 14, 2022, gives for the recruitment of youths between the age bracket of 17-and-half years and 21 for under 4 years, with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for 15 extra years. The federal government prolonged the higher age restrict to 23 years later that 12 months.
(With inputs from PTI)
