One dead as India protests against new short-term army jobs widen
Angry protesters set the strain on fire across India.
Some have vandalized stations, blocked roads and torched busses.
They're demanding the government withdraw its new recruitment policy for the military.
Exams have been postponed at least nine times since March 2020.
Now they say the exams will be canceled because of the new scheme.
Why are they executing the scheme?
What will we do?
After four years of service?
Those who are medically and physically fit should be examined again and the old way of recruitment should be restarted.
We completely object to the tour of duty.
Way of Recruitment india has one of the largest military in the world.
It employs nearly one and a half million people.
A new recruitment policy aims to bring down the average age of soldiers from 32 to26 and reduce expenditure on salaries.
Soldiers will now be hired for four years.
Only top recruits will get a permanent job with health benefits and a pension.
The government says this will improve the military.
Under the new scheme, the Indian youth will get an opportunity to serve in the Indian armed forces.
This scheme has been brought in for strengthening national security and to prove an opportunity for military service for our youth.
But the backlash has been growing.
In recent days, one person was killed in the violence.
Officials have shut down the Internet in some areas.
The government says after their service, recruits will be given a preference for jobs in security forces like the police.
Experts point out this policy comes when economic recovery is slow and unemployment remains high.
Analysts say this overhaul will help upgrade equipment, but have criticized its timing and implementation.
It's not altogether a bad step, but there are problems with the way it is being implemented.
And the biggest of the problem seems to be that they will still be left with the unemployment problem when these four year service people retire at the end of four years.
Recruitment under the new scheme is set to begin next week.
But after the backlash, the government has now raise the maximum age to 23, but only for this year.
Al Jazeera's Pavni Mittal reports from New Delhi, India.