IAF receives 7.5 lakh applications under Agnipath scheme; closes registration

The Indian Air Force (IAF) said on Tuesday that it had received 7.5 lakh applications under its "Agnipath" recruitment scheme. The registration process under the scheme began on June 24 and ended on Tuesday.

After the scheme was unveiled on June 14, violent protests against it rocked several states for nearly a week, with several opposition parties calling for it to be reversed.

"The IAF online registration process for the Agnipath Recruitment Scheme has completed," the IAF said on Twitter.

"Compared to 631,528 applications in the past, which was the highest of any recruitment cycle, around 749,899 applications were received this time," it added.

Under the Agnipath scheme, those between the ages of 17-and-a-half and 21 years would be inducted into the armed forces for a period of four years and 25 percent of them will enlist for regular service subsequently.

On June 16, the government raised the maximum age of recruitment under the scheme to 23 years from 21, after which it announced a set of appeasement measures, such as favoring "Agniveers" in the central paramilitary forces and commitments from the sector of public sector undertakings on their Retirement.

Several BJP-ruled states have also announced that "Agniveers", soldiers who have been recruited into the armed forces under the Agnipath scheme, will be given priority for recruitment into the state police force.

The armed forces said those involved in violent protests and arson against the new conscription plan will not be inducted.

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