Bengaluru, Jun 17: Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Friday urged the BJP-ruled Centre to drop the Agnipath scheme of recruiting military personnel as 'Agniveers' for a term of four years in the wake of violent protests in parts of the country by aspirants seeking to join the armed forces.

In a series of tweets, the Congress stalwart also said the government should not play with the security forces to cover up the government's bankruptcy.

"The new #AgneepathScheme to recruit soldiers will push youth into unemployment & will have adverse impact on security of the country. @BJP4India should drop the new plan & recruit soldiers as per the existing process," Siddaramaiah tweeted.

He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power with the promise to provide two crore job opportunities, but now is closing every opportunity for the youth.

Questioning the scheme, the former chief minister sought to know, "Can soldiers be completely involved if they are insecure about their job opportunities & clueless about their future due to #AgneepathScheme? Is this not dangerous if soldiers develop this insecurity?

Seeking to know if the BJP government at the Centre was so "bankrupt" that they are unable to ensure job security, and pay salaries and pensions to the soldiers, Siddaramaiah said PM Modi should not play with the national security "to cover up the government's bankruptcy .

"People of our country have taught a lesson to @BJP4India govt when they tried to implement anti-farmer laws. People should again teach a lesson for playing with the future of our youth & our soldiers," Siddaramaiah further tweeted.

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Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment Eshwar Khandre has instructed authorities to formulate a standard operating procedure (SOP) for trekking safety, intended to serve as a national model.

The Minister issued the instruction in writing to the chief wildlife warden in the wake of the disappearance of a woman from Kerala in the dense Tadiandamol forest, and the search for a minor girl in Chandradrona hills, his office said in a release on Thursday.

Like the ‘e-Gastu’ app already developed by the Forest Department and the ‘MStripes’ app used in tiger reserves, if a similar kind of app is temporarily installed on the mobile phones of trekkers during the trek, it will be easier to track those who go astray, hence the Forest Minister has directed to take steps to develop the app and provide group insurance to trekkers, it said.

In addition, Khandre has suggested that nature guides should be equipped with wireless communication sets and they should be held accountable for safety and coordination of trekking groups under their supervision, it added.