The government has denied the speculations doing rounds on social media about the Agnipath Scheme being restarted. According to the Press Information Bureau, there was no such decision taken by the government to again start induction under the name of 'Sainik Saman Scheme' with increased tenure for duty, increased permanent staff quota, and more income, as claimed in a misinformation message circulating through WhatsApp.
"A #fake WhatsApp message is going around that the Agnipath Scheme had been re-launched as 'Sainik Saman Scheme' with several changes in its review including duty period being extended to 7 yrs; permanent staff raised to 60 per cent & increased income … GOI has taken no such decision," the PIB acknowledged in its handle.
Riddled with spelling errors, this purportedly fake message has been forwarded and circulated, putting a question mark on its authenticity. The Opposition parties have always been critical of the Agnipath Scheme ever since it was announced, but during the campaign for the Lok Sabha elections, they became even more vehement in their attack. The Congress promised to scrap the scheme if voted to power at the Centre.
The Agnipath Scheme was first announced in September 2022. It is described as a "tour of duty style" system through which soldiers below commissioned officer ranks in the armed forces are recruited for a fixed four-year term. Recruits under this initiative are called Agniveers.
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