New Delhi: Within four days of inviting applications for the Agnipath recruitment scheme, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has received 94,281 applications, PTI reported.
The Defence Ministry Spokesperson A Bharat Bhushan Babu tweeted, "A total of 94,281 Agniveer Vayu aspirants have registered till 10:30 am (Monday). Registration closes on July 5."
The number of applications received till Sunday was 56,960.
The new scheme inducts youths between the ages of 17-and-a-half and 21 years into the defence forces for four years. After that, only 25 per cent of the recruits will be inducted for regular service.
The scheme, which was announced on June 14, has incited severe and violent protests across the country, and in many places, aspirants vandalized public assets, primarily railway properties, and faced severe damages, including railway coaches being torched and communication systems destroyed.
After the protests arose, on June 16, the government raised the upper age limit to 23 years from 21 for the year 2022. The government also smoothened the scheme with some placatory steps like a preference for Agniveers (those recruited into Agneepath) in central paramilitary forces and defence public sector undertakings upon their retirement.
Later, many states ruled by BJP also declared the 'Agniveers' would be given priority in inducting into state police forces.
Meanwhile, the armed forces made it clear that those involved in violence and vandalism, in the name of protest against the scheme, will not be inducted into defence.
The Indian Railways had informed that it had incurred damages worth more than Rs 1,000 crores in the Agnipath vandalism.