Uttarakhand minister questions norms for recruitment of Agniveers into army

Uttarakhand's Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj has questioned the norms being followed for the recruitment of "Agniveers" into the armed forces in the hill state.

"The height requirement for the hill people in Army recruitment rallies was reduced during the time of (former Chief of Defence Staff) General Bipin Rawat to 163 centimetres. But the colonel looking after the recruitment process for Agniveers in Kotdwar is still following the 170-centimetre criterion," Maharaj said in a video statement.

He said he has spoken to Union Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt about it and asked him to ensure that the recruitment of Agniveers is done strictly in accordance with the norms.

"As people in the hills are usually not very tall, a relaxation in the height requirement was given to the Army aspirants in Uttarakhand during the time of late General Bipin Rawat. However, it has been brought to my notice that the norm set by General Rawat is not being followed in the recruitment rally for Agniveers currently underway in Kotdwar," Maharaj said.

He added that he has urged Bhatt to look into the matter and ensure that the norms are followed.

The recruitment of Agniveers began in Kotdwar on August 19 and will go on till August 31.