Summary:
Shillong, June 27 (PTI) A day after Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik urged the Centre to reconsider the ‘Agnipath’ recruitment scheme for armed forces, claiming that it was against the interest of youth, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Monday lauded the new programme as a "positive one" that would enhance capabilities of individuals enrolled under it.
He urged the youths of the state to "take full advantage" of the new scheme and join the Army.
"It is a positive scheme.
There will be criticisms for any government scheme but I can say this (Agnipath) is the best way forward," the CM said after a cabinet meeting here.
“Though for a short period of four years, the service and training that one gets through this association with the armed forces will enhance his overall capabilities to a great extent," he stated.
Asked about Malik"s reaction to the scheme, Sangma said everyone was entitled to their views and opinions.
"The positive aspects of the scheme weigh more than its negative side," he added.
Protests have broken out in several parts of the country over the Agnipath scheme – under which hiring has been proposed in the armed forces for a four-year-period followed by compulsory retirement, without any pension benefits.
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