Govt should not play with national security: Kanhaiya Kumar on Agnipath
Patna, Jun 26: Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar on Sunday said the Centre should not play with national security and demanded an immediate rollback of the Agnipath scheme.
He said Congress workers will organise protest marches against the Agnipath scheme in all 243 assembly constituencies in Bihar on Monday.
"The BJP-led NDA government at the Centre is not serious about addressing the unemployment problem in the country. By bringing in the Agnipath scheme, it has made jobs contractual in defence sector. But the Union government must not play with national security. We demand an immediate rollback of the scheme," Kumar told reporters.
The new scheme comes at a time when there has almost been no recruitment in the armed forces for several years, he said.
"Agnipath scheme is simply a move towards the contractualisation of defence jobs. Agniveers won't get employment or pension after completing their service duration of four years. Students and job aspirants will definitely protest against such schemes that will thrust the youth of the country into the fire. But Union ministers are trying to sell the scheme like salesmen," he said.
Kumar alleged that the Centre does not understand the pain or frustration of jobless youngsters.
"Why is Prime Minister Narendra Modi silent on the issue? The government talked about 'one rank, one pension', but has come up with a scheme of 'no rank, no pension'. The scheme is neither in favor of the country nor good for army job aspirants," he added.
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Indian Coast Guard detains Iranian fishing vessel with 6 Indian crew
New Delhi, May 6: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has detained an Iranian fishing vessel with six Indian crew off the coast of Kerala, the defence ministry said on Monday.
The vessel was detained on Sunday following a swift "sea-air" coordinated operation by the ICG, it said.
The ministry said the crew alleged that the "Iranian sponsor" of the vessel ill-treated and deprived them of basic living conditions and confiscated their passports.
Initial investigation revealed that the owner of the boat was an Iranian national who had contracted the Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu, it said.
"The Indian Coast Guard detained an Iranian fishing vessel, with six Indian crew, west of Beypore off the coast of Kerala late on May 5. The swift sea-air coordinated operation involved the ships and aircraft of the ICG," the ministry said in a statement.
"After intercepting the boat, an ICG team boarded the vessel and thoroughly investigated it to check the involvement of any anti-national activity," it said.
"Initial investigation revealed that the owner of the boat was an Iranian sponsor who had contracted these Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu, and issued them Iranian Visas for fishing off the Iran coast," it added.
The vessel was brought to Kochi for further investigation.
"The crew alleged that the sponsor ill-treated and deprived them of basic living conditions, besides confiscating their passports. The crew said that they had decided to escape from Iran to India using the same boat," the ministry said.
@IndiaCoastGuard in a swift sea-air coordinated operation intercepts & detains #Iranian fishing vessel in #Arabian sea west off #Kerala coast with 06 #Indian crew employed on contractual basis at Iran. Crew alleges exploitation & mistreatment by the boat owner. The boat has been… pic.twitter.com/4N02929W4w
— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) May 6, 2024
