Department of Military Affairs Additional Secretary Lt. General Anil Puri addresses a press conference regarding the Central government’s ‘Agnipath’ scheme. (Photo credit: PTI)

New Delhi: Those applying for the centre’s new military recruitment scheme, ‘Agnipath’, would have to give an undertaking that they were not part of any violent protest or incident of arson that have broken out across the country, top defence officers said today.

Addressing the media at a briefing by top officers from the Army, Navy and Air Force, Lieutenant General Anil Puri, additional secretary with the Department of Military Affairs, said, “All Agniveers will have to give a pledge that he/she never took part in any arson, protest.”

Stressing that a police verification of all applicants will be carried out before they are considered for selection as ‘Agniveers’, he said, “We had not anticipated the recent violence over this scheme. There is no place for indiscipline in the Armed Forces. If there is any FIR against any candidate they cannot be a part of Agniveers.”

The ‘Agnipath’ scheme, which was unveiled by the government on Tuesday, aims to bring in men and women between the ages of 17-and-a-half and 21 into the armed forces for a four-year tenure.

The youths to be recruited under the new scheme would be called ‘Agniveer’. A major objective of the scheme is to bring down the average age of military personnel and cut ballooning salary and pension bills.

After the announcement of the scheme, protests have broken out in several parts of the country. In a few states, the protests turned violent, which included setting trains on fire and stone-pelting incidents, and arrests were made.

Lieutenant General Anil Puri today said that the Agnipath scheme will not be rolled back.