Amid large-scale protests by young people and military aspirants against a new model of recruiting troops for the three services - army, navy, air force, the central government on Thursday raised the age limit for recruitment under the Agnipath scheme after 23 years of age 21. years before 2022.

At the launch of the program on Tuesday (June 14), the government said young people between the ages of 17 and a half and 21 would be appointed for a four-year term, while 25 percent of recruits would remain on a regular basis service.

"Aware of the fact that recruitment has not been possible in the last two years, the government has decided to grant a one-off exemption for the proposed recruitment cycle for 2022," a statement released by the Department of Defense said.

"As a result, the upper age limit for the recruitment process for the Agnipath scheme for 2022 has been raised to 23," the statement said.

States including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand have witnessed central government protests against the newly launched Agnipath scheme. Trains were set on fire, public cars and police cars were attacked and staff were injured as 'Agnipath' protests intensified on Thursday.

Protests were reported in Gurugram, Rewari, Charkhi Dadri, Hisar and Rohtak in Haryana.

Violent demonstrations took place in Gwalior and Indore in Madhya Pradesh and in the Bulandshahr and Ballia districts of Uttar Pradesh.

People took to the streets in Jodhpur, Sikar, Jaipur, Nagaur, Ajmer and Jhunjhunu districts in Rajasthan, but no violence was reported.

BJP ally JD (U) National President Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan came up with an enthusiastic tweet urging the center to hold an "avilamb punarvichaar" (reminder that the system "addresses the concerns and anxieties" in the minds of many young people without delay). Bihar and other parts of the country. Former Punjab Prime Minister and BJP ally Amarinder Singh also warned and called for a reconsideration.

The statement asked why the government should make such "radical changes" in its recruitment policy, which "has worked very well for the country for many years."

"Hiring troops for four years, with effective service for three years, is never a good idea in the military," said Amarinder Singh, a former army captain.

Congress criticized the government, saying the new system carried too many risks and undermined the long-standing traditions and ethics of the armed forces and could be a case of "wise and security madness."

Congressman P Chidambaram said the government should continue to plan and conduct further negotiations and then take further action. "No rank, no pension, no immediate recruitment for 2 years, no strong future after four years, no respect that the government shows to the military," Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said in a U-tweet in Hindi.

"Listen to the voice of the unemployed youth in the country, do not take 'agnipareeksha' out of their patience by letting them run on 'Agnipath', Prime Minister," Gandhi said.

Left-wing parties, Samajwadi leader Akhilesh Yadav, BSP leader Mayawati and Delhi's prime minister Arvind Kejriwal have also expressed anger over the government's "transformative" plan.

The plan has also been criticized by several opposition political parties and many military experts, saying it would harm the operation of the armed forces.

The government has planned a new recruitment plan for the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force as a major overhaul of the decades-old selection process to raise the profile of the youth in the three services. After the plan was launched, the military said it would provide a better profile of the youth in the unit and lead to "a reduction in the average age from 32 to 26 over time."

All three service providers also strongly supported the plan, saying it was published after more than two years of analysis.

Military officials say that with the proliferation of technology and changes in the armed forces' training program, they will ensure that the personnel included in the scheme have the same skills needed to handle the challenges.

The monthly salary of "Agniveer" in the first year of employment will be Rs 30,000 and the amount in hand will be Rs 21,000, because Rs 9,000 will go to the corpus with the same contribution from the government.

Thereafter, the monthly salary for the second, third and fourth years will be Rs 33,000, Rs 36,500 and Rs 40,000. Each "Agniveer" will receive Rs 11.71 lakh as a "Seva Nidhi Package" and will be exempt from income tax.

The recruitment process under the Agnipath scheme will start in 90 days.

The system is also expected to reduce the combined costs of armed forces' salaries and pensions, as there is no entitlement to gratuity and pension benefits.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the new recruits will receive a non-contributory life insurance of 48 million rupees for the duration of their engagement in the armed forces.

The four years of employment under the new system include a training period of approximately two and a half months to six months. In the face of widespread protests against the scheme, the government has said that the new recruitment model will bring new opportunities to the armed forces, strengthen India's overall strength and allow youth to serve the country.

In a series of reports on social media, the government's dissemination department said the program would help the military benefit from the technical skills and new thinking of the youth.

"The plan will bring new dynamism to the armed forces. It will help the forces bring new opportunities ... It will allow young people to serve the country," the news center said in a statement. posts on Facebook.