The Evening Wrap: Amid protests, Ministries announce reservation for Agniveers

The protests against the Centre’s Agnipath scheme continued on Saturday across several States even as Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh defended the scheme saying that it was rolled out after wide ranging consultations, including with ex-servicemen. Further, Mr. Singh also approved a proposal to reserve 10% of the jobs in the Ministry of Defence for Agniveers meeting the requisite eligibility criteria. “The 10% reservation will be implemented in the Coast Guard and defence civilian posts, and all the 16 Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSU). This reservation would be in addition to existing reservation for ex-servicemen,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement. Similar announcements were made by the Home and Shipping Ministries too. The Ministry of Home Affairs said that 10% of all vacancies in the Central Armed Police Forces and Assam Rifles will be reserved for recruits who have completed four-years of service under Agnipath. The Ministry also announced a five-year age relaxation for the first batch of Agniveers. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways too announced six service avenues for smooth transition of Agniveers in various roles of the Merchant Navy, post their stint with the Indian Navy. Meanwhile, the Congress criticised the government for the scheme with its chief Sonia Gandhi calling the scheme “directionless”. Ms. Gandhi said that her party will work towards the withdrawal of the scheme and appealed to the protesters to take up peaceful means to fight for their demands. The party also announced that its MPs and leaders will sit on a satyagraha at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on June 19 in solidarity with the protesters. Farooq Abdullah withdraws from presidential race, says J&K needs him more National Conference vice-president Farooq Abdullah withdrew from the presidential race, saying Jammu and Kashmir was passing through a critical juncture and required his efforts to navigate uncertain times. “I believe that Jammu and Kashmir is passing through a critical juncture and my efforts are required to help navigate these uncertain times. Therefore I would like to respectfully withdraw my name from consideration and I look forward to supporting the joint opposition consensus candidate,” Dr. Abdullah said in a statement. Dr. Abdullah said he had a lot more active politics ahead of him and that he looks forward to making a positive contribution in the service of J&K and the country. He also thanked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for proposing his name. Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar too had declined the offer to be presidential candidate of the united Opposition. His name was proposed after a meeting by 17 Opposition parties called by Ms. Banerjee to build a consensus on fielding a joint candidate in the presidential elections. Kabul gurdwara under attack from suspected Islamic State militants In the latest targeted assault on a place of worship of the Sikh community in Afghanistan, the gurdwara in Kabul’s Bagh-e Bala neighborhood was attacked early Saturday morning and a gun battle lasting several hours between the terrorists and Taliban fighters ensued, said Abdul Nafi Takor, a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry. Gurdwara Karte Parwan in Kabul was rocked by several blasts, killing two people, including a Sikh, and injuring seven others. Afghan security personnel thwarted a bigger tragedy by stopping an explosive-laden vehicle from reaching the gurdwara. Three attackers were reportedly killed by the Taliban forces. According to the statement from the Interior Ministry, an explosive-laden vehicle aiming to target the place was thwarted before reaching its goal. In New Delhi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar strongly condemned the “cowardly attack” and said the government was closely monitoring the situation following the incident. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has strongly condemned the attack and urged the Centre to extend immediate assistance to ensure the safety of minorities in the Afghan capital. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. However, the attack is suspected to have been carried out by the Islamic State. Volodymyr Zelensky pays first visit to south Ukraine’s war-damaged Mykolaiv In a rare trip outside Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the war-damaged southern city of Mykolaiv for the first time since the Russian invasion. A video from Mr. Zelensky’s office showed him looking at a badly damaged high-rise residential building in the city and holding a meeting with local officials. His visit comes a day after a Russian strike killed two people and injured 20 in the city. Mykolaiv has been targeted by Russian forces since the start of their invasion on February 24. Local Governor Vitaliy Kim showed the damage to the building to Mr. Zelensky. The tall building had a gaping hole, with the inside of apartments visible. The President “discussed the state of the economy, the restoration of water supplies and the situation in agriculture,” during the meeting, his office said. “Special attention was paid to threats from land and sea. We do not stop working for victory,” the statement read. Mykolaiv has been holding the defence of southern Ukraine, as it lies on the way to the key strategic Black Sea port of Odessa. In Brief Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited his mother Heeraba Modi in Gandhinagar to mark her centenary. Mr. Modi also wrote a long, personal blog post about her life and struggles. The blog post, translated and released in various Indian languages, spoke in detail about Ms. Heeraba Modi’s life and struggles and the struggles of the Modi family as a whole as they dealt with a scarcity of resources, with Prime Minister Modi’s father Damodardas Modi selling tea at the railway station in Vadnagar and Ms. Heeraba taking in washing from nearby houses to make ends meet. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow [logo] The Evening Wrap 18 JUNE 2022 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Amid protests, Defence, Home Ministries announce reservation for Agniveers The protests against the Centre’s Agnipath scheme continued on Saturday across several States even as Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh defended the scheme saying that it was rolled out after wide ranging consultations, including with ex-servicemen. [Vehicles burn in Masaurhi on June 18, 2022 after they were set on fire during the Bihar Bandh against the Agnipath scheme. ] Further, Mr. Singh also [approved a proposal to reserve 10% of the jobs in the Ministry of Defence for Agniveers]( meeting the requisite eligibility criteria. “The 10% reservation will be implemented in the Coast Guard and defence civilian posts, and all the 16 Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSU). This reservation would be in addition to existing reservation for ex-servicemen,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement. Similar announcements were made by the Home and Shipping Ministries too. The [Ministry of Home Affairs said]( that 10% of all vacancies in the Central Armed Police Forces and Assam Rifles will be reserved for recruits who have completed four-years of service under Agnipath. The Ministry also announced a five-year age relaxation for the first batch of Agniveers. The [Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways too announced six service avenues]( for smooth transition of Agniveers in various roles of the Merchant Navy, post their stint with the Indian Navy. Meanwhile, the Congress criticised the government for the scheme with its chief [Sonia Gandhi calling the scheme “directionless”](. Ms. Gandhi said that her party will work towards the withdrawal of the scheme and appealed to the protesters to take up peaceful means to fight for their demands. The party also announced that its MPs and leaders will sit on a satyagraha at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on June 19 in solidarity with the protesters. Farooq Abdullah withdraws from presidential race, says J&K needs him more National Conference vice-president [Farooq Abdullah withdrew from the presidential race]( saying Jammu and Kashmir was passing through a critical juncture and required his efforts to navigate uncertain times. “I believe that Jammu and Kashmir is passing through a critical juncture and my efforts are required to help navigate these uncertain times. Therefore I would like to respectfully withdraw my name from consideration and I look forward to supporting the joint opposition consensus candidate,” Dr. Abdullah said in a statement. Dr. Abdullah said he had a lot more active politics ahead of him and that he looks forward to making a positive contribution in the service of J&K and the country. He also thanked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for proposing his name. Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar too had declined the offer to be presidential candidate of the united Opposition. His name was proposed after a meeting by 17 Opposition parties called by Ms. Banerjee to build a consensus on fielding a joint candidate in the presidential elections. Kabul gurdwara under attack from suspected Islamic State militants In the latest targeted assault on a place of worship of the Sikh community in Afghanistan, the [gurdwara in Kabul’s Bagh-e Bala neighborhood was attacked]( early Saturday morning and a gun battle lasting several hours between the terrorists and Taliban fighters ensued, said Abdul Nafi Takor, a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry. Gurdwara Karte Parwan in Kabul was rocked by several blasts, killing two people, including a Sikh, and injuring seven others. Afghan security personnel thwarted a bigger tragedy by stopping an explosive-laden vehicle from reaching the gurdwara. [Taliban fighters stand guard at the site of an explosion in front of a gudwara in Kabul on June 18, 2022. ] Three attackers were reportedly killed by the Taliban forces. According to the statement from the Interior Ministry, an explosive-laden vehicle aiming to target the place was thwarted before reaching its goal. In New Delhi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar strongly condemned the “cowardly attack” and said the government was closely monitoring the situation following the incident. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has strongly condemned the attack and urged the Centre to extend immediate assistance to ensure the safety of minorities in the Afghan capital. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. However, the attack is suspected to have been carried out by the Islamic State. Volodymyr Zelensky pays first visit to south Ukraine’s war-damaged Mykolaiv In a rare trip outside Kyiv, Ukrainian President [Volodymyr Zelensky visited the war-damaged southern city of Mykolaiv]( for the first time since the Russian invasion. A video from Mr. Zelensky’s office showed him looking at a badly damaged high-rise residential building in the city and holding a meeting with local officials. His visit comes a day after a Russian strike killed two people and injured 20 in the city. Mykolaiv has been targeted by Russian forces since the start of their invasion on February 24. Local Governor Vitaliy Kim showed the damage to the building to Mr. Zelensky. The tall building had a gaping hole, with the inside of apartments visible. The President “discussed the state of the economy, the restoration of water supplies and the situation in agriculture,” during the meeting, his office said. “Special attention was paid to threats from land and sea. We do not stop working for victory,” the statement read. Mykolaiv has been holding the defence of southern Ukraine, as it lies on the way to the key strategic Black Sea port of Odessa. In Brief Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited his mother Heeraba Modi in Gandhinagar to mark her centenary. [Mr. Modi also wrote a long, personal blog post]( about her life and struggles. The blog post, translated and released in various Indian languages, spoke in detail about Ms. Heeraba Modi’s life and struggles and the struggles of the Modi family as a whole as they dealt with a scarcity of resources, with Prime Minister Modi’s father Damodardas Modi selling tea at the railway station in Vadnagar and Ms. Heeraba taking in washing from nearby houses to make ends meet. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow  Today’s Top Picks [[PM Modi inaugurates revamped temple destroyed by 15th century Gujarat ruler] PM Modi inaugurates revamped temple destroyed by 15th century Gujarat ruler]( [[Weekly Crypto Roundup: firings, freezing, and falls] Weekly Crypto Roundup: firings, freezing, and falls]( [[Worldview with Suhasini Haidar | Two years after Galwan: How much has changed in India-China ties?] Worldview with Suhasini Haidar | Two years after Galwan: How much has changed in India-China ties?]( [[Explained | Why is Australia facing an electricity crisis despite being a top exporter of coal and gas?] Explained | Why is Australia facing an electricity crisis despite being a top exporter of coal and gas?]( Copyright @ 2022, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. If you are facing any trouble in viewing this newsletter, please [try here]( If you do not wish to receive such emails [go here](