Agniveers can be assets to paramilitary forces: CRPF DG Kuldiep Singh

The Centre has given a 10 per cent quota and upper age limit relaxation to Agniveers for recruitment into the Central Armed Police Forces. How will the CAPFs benefit from Agnipath?

The paramilitary forces will get trained personnel at the pre-recruitment stage itself, which saves time and training costs. As the Agniveers will not be raw, we will already know their skills. With a short re-orientation, the Agniveer can become an asset to the CAPFs.

How will it help in job creation?

While it provides employment opportunities to youth, it will also help fill up the vacancies in CAPFs. There are around 15,000 vacancies in the CRPF at the force level.

Why do you think there are nationwide protests against it?

To say that their future will be uncertain is a wrong narrative being built by inimical elements. For those who had genuine concerns, the government has explained the rationale behind the short-term recruitment.

Is there a danger of Agniveers becoming potential targets for espionage?

I do not think so. The Agniveers shall be imbibed with the value system and ethos of the Indian forces.

There is scepticism that the new short-term recruits will learn only odd jobs in the armed forces?

Why are we sceptical at the first possible opportunity? World over, this is the method being followed. I think it is only misinformation that is leading to protests.

Being the largest paramilitary force, the CRPF will have the biggest chunk of Agniveers. How different is the training in the armed forces and the CRPF?

The armed forces train with the enemy in mind while the CAPFs have a different mandate. While physical fitness and mental strength are mainstays in both, the conditions in which the forces operate are very different.

What kind of training will be given to the Agniveers joining the CRPF?

The CRPF has its own training centres catering to the basic training of constables, sub-inspectors and officers. We ensure that the personnel are put through rigorous in-service courses to enhance and upgrade their knowledge in keeping with the times. The challenges in various parts of the country are fundamentally different. We put our personnel through pre-induction training whenever they are deployed in a new theatre. It is important for us to ensure that the men on ground know exactly how to react. The CRPF has a history of being able to quickly shift gears and work on the security grid. I am sure the Agniveers will soon become part of our fighting force.