Odisha youth runs 64 km showing solidarity with agitation against Agnipath scheme

He justified agitation by job seekers against the Agnipath scheme but disapproved of violence and damaging public property by agitators

At a time when job aspirants for the defence sector resorted to violent protests across the country against the Agnipath scheme, a youth in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district ran 64 kilometres to register his dissent.

Naresh Biswas, a 23-year-old youth who had unsuccessfully tried to get a job in the Indian defence sector and State police, chose to take a different approach to show his solidarity with agitating job seekers. The youth undertook a 64-km-marathon run from district headquarter town of Nabarangpur to Umarkote on Friday and completed the run in five hours and 26 minutes.

“It is not easy to prepare for defence sector. One has to be physically and mentally fit for entry into defence services. Youths across the country have devoted years in preparation for the job. But the Central government came up with Agnipath scheme, which guarantees only four years of job,” said Mr. Biswas.

He said, “When a person completes after four years in defence services under the scheme, they would face an uncertain future. When opportunities in job sector in shrinking, defence sector used absorbs thousands of youths who gets respectable salary as well as job profile. Now, the government wants to close this window too.”

“Instead of four years, the government should consider 15 years of service in defence sector,” demanded Mr. Biswas, who along with 20 other aspirants had been training in a field in Umarkote for past five years.

Though he justified agitation by job seekers against the Agnipath scheme, he disapproved of violence and damaging public property by agitators.