Jaishankar on Agniveer Scheme, which stopped recruitments from Nepal

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday defended India’s implementation of the Agniveer programme, which abruptly halted recruitment of military personnel from Nepal, and said New Delhi will reform its policies, prioritizing Indian interests, and “ An Indian decision cannot be made because someone else’s interests are at stake.”

“Why did we do Agniveer? We did it for ourselves. We will reform our armed forces, obviously keeping Indian interests in mind,” EAM Jaishankar said while talking to students at a session on “Vishwa Bandhu Bharat” at Gargi College in New Delhi.

“Any reform, I am not talking about now, Agniveer, an Indian decision cannot be made because someone else’s interests are at stake. India will decide what is in India’s interest,” he added.

The Union Cabinet on June 14, 2022 approved an attractive recruitment scheme for Indian youth to serve in the armed forces called AGNIPATH and the youth selected under this scheme will be known as Agniveers. AGNIPATH offers patriotic and motivated youth the opportunity to serve in the armed forces for a period of four years.

After it was implemented in September 2022, recruitment from Nepal was halted or abruptly halted.

EAM Jaishankar also addressed India’s diplomatic row with the Maldives and claimed that while governments may have different views, the neighboring countries cannot diverge from each other.

“They (Maldives) have their politics. Sometimes you have a government that may have a position on India, but at the end of the day we say to them, look, we are all neighbors. We cannot move away from each other,” EAM said.

“An example that someone can give you, I can give you a reverse example, for example in Nepal, you know, Nepal has had enormous power for years, the ability to generate electricity. We are logical customers, but for political reasons they never did that. Now they are willing to do it in Sri Lanka, as I said, the Sri Lankans actually know who really helped them. If you go to Bangladesh today, the thinking about India has fundamentally changed,” he asserted that India has strengthened relations with its neighbors.

His comments came as Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer departed Male on an official visit to India, amid strained ties that emerged after the Maldives asked India to replace its military personnel from the island .

Meanwhile, India has said it will replace its military personnel from the Maldives by May 10.

On May 3, India and Maldives held the fourth meeting of the bilateral High-Level Core Group and reviewed the replacement of Indian military personnel from the island nation by May 10 and noted that the government will replace military personnel before the specified time. Earlier, the Mohamed Muizzu-led Maldives government had formally requested India to withdraw its troops from Male.

Minister of State for External Affairs (EAM) S. Jaishankar earlier highlighted the complexities of managing relations with neighboring countries when he addressed the controversy surrounding Nepal’s representation of certain Indian territories on its banknotes.

Jaishankar acknowledged that dealing with neighboring countries often involves navigating political complexities.

“Sometimes dealing with our neighbors involves a bit of politics. It is about balancing our interests with theirs,” EAM Jaishankar said during a media interaction here on Sunday.

He also warned that there may not be positivity towards India among all its neighbors, citing instances where unfavorable views have been expressed. “If you visit places like Sri Lanka, you may hear unfavorable opinions from government officials or individuals,” he said.