Agnipath scheme golden opportunity to engage personnel: Welspun chairman

Welspun Chairman BK Goenka on Tuesday said the Centre's Agnipath scheme is a golden opportunity for the industry to engage highly skilled, disciplined and talented personnel, and the group has committed to offer jobs to those who have undergone four-year defence services under the programme.

Joining the chorus of other India Inc leaders -- including Mahindra Group chief Anand Mahindra and Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran, who on Monday had rallied behind the scheme -- Goenka said Agniveers will find suitable openings at different levels in Welspun, a group with interests in line pipes, home textiles, infrastructure and steel, among others.

"Agnipath scheme is a golden opportunity for the industry to engage highly skilled, disciplined, and talented personnel in their organisations," he said in a statement.

With minor orientation on industrial machinery, Goenka said, "They will be able to deliver quality output. The Agniveers will find suitable openings at different levels in Welspun".

The Agnipath scheme for the armed forces, announced on June 14, provides for the recruitment of youth between the age bracket of 17-and-half years to 21 only four years, with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for 15 more years. The others would retire without gratuity and pension benefits. Later, the government extended the upper age limit to 23 years for recruitment in 2022.

Protests have erupted in several states against the scheme.

Welspun said it is putting its "foot forward in the right direction with conviction by announcing that it will offer great career opportunities to our honourable Agniveers".

"The organisation has arrived at the decision in its endeavour to support the government's agenda of building a stronger tomorrow for the nation. Welspun believes in the capabilities attained by our forces due to the highly comprehensive training imparted to them too," the statement said.