Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar on Friday termed the Agniveer model as the single biggest human resources management transformation in the Indian military and said that protests in parts of the country over the newly launched Agnipath scheme are happening due to misinformation and misunderstanding.
"I didn't anticipate any protests like this. We worked on Agnipath scheme for almost a year and a half...," the Navy chief told ANI.
Calling the Agnipath scheme 'transformational', the Navy chief admiral said it is 'a made-in-India and a made-for-India' scheme.
"The Agnipath scheme is a transformational scheme. It is a made-in-India and a made-for-India scheme. No, I didn't anticipate protests like these. I want to tell those protesting that do not be violent and remain peaceful," Admiral R Hari Kumar told ANI.
As protests broke out in parts of the country by protestors demanding a roll back of the scheme, the Navy chief Admiral said: "I want to tell people to not protest and not be violent. They should understand the scheme and remain peaceful. This is a great opportunity for the youth to serve the country."
He also urged protesters to read and understand the Agnipath scheme and said that it is an opportunity to serve the nation.
Commenting further on the ongoing protest, the Admiral said that the agitation is taking place due to 'misinformation and misunderstanding' of the scheme.
"It is a scheme of which I was part of the initial planning team and worked on it for almost a year and a half. And, now we see the scheme coming to its completion and introduction into the armed forces," he added.
