• Source:JND
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Agnipath Debate In Parliament:  The Parliament on Monday witnessed heated exchanges between Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh over the Agnipath scheme. Accusing the opposition leader of spreading misinformation and misleading the people over the short-term recruitment scheme of Indian forces, Rajnath Singh offered to discuss the issue in the house.

This came after Congress leader, speaking on the budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, alleged that Agnipath robbed soldiers and their families of financial security and respect. He pointed to the lack of benefits to Agniveers in comparison to the earlier recruitment.

The opposition leader claimed that the scheme exposes the 'anti-youth' and 'anti-farmers' stance of the current government. Hitting back, the Defence Minister accused Rahul of spreading misconceptions about the budget, adding that the Finance Minister would answer to his misinformation in the house.

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"One Agniveer lost his life in a landmine blast, but he is not recognised as a 'martyr'. I consider him a martyr, but the government of India does not. PM Modi does not call him a martyr -- he refers to him as an Agniveer. His family will not receive a pension or compensation. The Agnipath scheme treats them as expendable, like a labourer," LoP Rahul Gandhi had claimed, igniting a huge uproar from the treasury benches.

The Defence Minister promptly protested the Congress leader's claims, informing the house that the families of the Agniveers dying in the line of duty receive financial assistance of Rs 1 Crore.

"He (Rahul Gandhi) should not mislead the House with incorrect statements. Financial aid of ₹ 1 crore is provided to the family of an Agniveer who sacrifices his life while defending our borders or during wartime," Singh had asserted.

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Rahul Gandhi cited the case of Agniveer Ajay Kumar, referring to a video of his father in which he claimed that they did not receive any financial assistance from the government after his death.

However, the family later clarified that they had received some compensation but demanded hero status for him.