Agnipath Row: PM Modi to meet defence service chiefs tomorrow

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet the chiefs of three services - Army, Navy and the Air Force - tomorrow, June 21, amid the ongoing row over the Agnipath scheme.

The three service chiefs will meet the prime minister separately. Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar will meet PM Modi first, top government sources told India Today.

The three defence services have already issued notifications to begin recruitment of Agniveers under the new military scheme.

According to the notification issued by the Army, the online



registration of applicants will begin next month. The Army said Agniveers would form a distinct rank in the Indian Army, which would be different from any other existing ranks.

They would also be barred from disclosing classified information gained during the four-year service period. A total of 83 Army recruitment rallies under the Agnipath scheme will take place across India in August, September and October.

This development came after officials from the three services gave a broad schedule of enrolment of Agniveers under the new policy on Sunday.