After Anand Mahindra, Harsh Goenka offers jobs to demobilized Agniveers

• Anand Mahindra and Harsh Goenka are the first business leaders to come forward and promise to hire Agniveers.
  
• Their decision was not welcomed by Indians on Twitter.
  
• Neither of them mentioned the specific job roles or positions they would be hiring Agniveers for.

Anand Mahindra, the chairman of Mahindra and Mahindra Group, became the first business leader to offer a job to Agniveers after they are demobilized. The new Agnipath scheme has sparked off protests across the country as it plans to demobilize 75% of recruited troops without a pension.

Within a few hours of Mahindra’s announcement, the chairman of RPG Enterprises Harsh Goenka too expressed his intent to bring them into the fold of his tyres-to-energy conglomerate

“The RPG group also welcomes the opportunity to employ the Agniveers. I do hope other corporates will also join us to take this pledge and assure our youths of a future," Goenka said.

What job can you offer?

Even before Goenka backed Mahindra, a debate had been taking place over the latter’s tweet. Not everyone was happy with his statement, just as they were with various state governments announcing that Agniveers will be given preference for government and police jobs.
A Twitter user had asked Anand, “What post will be given by the Mahindra group to #aganiveer?”
Mahindra who is known to be an active social media blogger, responded saying, "Large potential for employment of Agniveers in the corporate sector. With leadership, teamwork and physical training, Agniveers provide market-ready professional solutions to industry, covering the full spectrum from operations to administration and supply chain management."
He however did not mention the specific jobs that would be offered to them. Users are assuming that he would announce the job roles too very soon.
Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Manipur government had earlier announced that the remaining Agniveers will be given preference for police and other government jobs.
A large number of army aspirants who have been awaiting the current recruitment drive were disappointed with the scheme which offers them a job only for four years, without the most enticing element of any government job – the pension.
A lot of them had questioned the future of a large number of army recruits — at least 75% of the 40,000 to be recruited — who would be left without a job.
Mahindra expressed his despair over the violence which has led to torching of trains, death and injury. He highlighted that Agniveers' discipline and talents will make them "eminently employable."
A lot of people also lauded Mahindra’s gesture.

The security guard controversy

The kinds and types of jobs on offer for Agniveers is the most discussed topic in the country currently. The most controversial statement in this aspect is the comment made by Kailash Vijayvargiya, national general secretary of Bhartiya Janta Party.
“If I want to hire security for the BJP office, I will give priority to Agniveer,” said Vijayvargiya in a statement, which drew instant criticism from all sections of the society.
In the meanwhile, the registration for the recruitment rallies will start from July and the first batch will begin in November-December.
The government is in no mood to back down on its stance on the scheme, after increasing the age limit of Agniveer recruits to 23 from 21 earlier. In fact, on Sunday, June 19, it released a statement that youngsters involved in the violent protest shall not be inducted into the armed forces.
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