The Indian Army on Sunday sought to clear the air on the financial support that is being offered to the family of Agniveer Gawate Akshay Laxman who died in the line of duty, saying the compensation to the next of kin is “governed by the relevant terms & conditions of service of the soldier”. Laxman died in the line of duty in Siachen, the highest militarised zone in the world where soldiers have to battle frostbite and high winds. Expressing support for the bereaved family of Laxman, the Additional Directorate General of Public Information, IHQ of MoD (Army), in a social media post said “it was important to clarify” the emoluments to the next of the kin “in view of conflicting messages on social media regarding financial assistance.”
The clarification came after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called Agniveer a scheme devised to “insult” India’s bravehearts, claiming no pension or other benefits are given to the families of Agniveers after their martyrdom, a charge that has been denied by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Gandhi shared a picture of Agniveer Laxman and said the news of his death in Siachen was saddening. “My deepest condolences to his family,” he added. “A young man was martyred for the country—no gratuity, no other military facilities for his service, and no pension to his family in martyrdom. “Agniveer is a plan to insult the heroes of India,” Gandhi said in a Post on X.
The BJP’S IT cell head Amit Malviya termed the charge “absolute trash and irresponsible.” “Agniveer Gawate Akshay Laxman has laid down his life in the course of service and therefore is entitled to emoluments as a Battle Casualty. “Accordingly, Laxman’s next of kin will receive the 48 lakh non contributory insurance, ex-gratia of 44 lakh, Seva Nidhi contributed by the Agniveer (30%), with an equal matching contribution by the Government, and interest thereon,” Malviya said on X.
He said the next of kin will also receive pay for the balance tenure from the date of death, till completion of four years (more than 13 lakh), as per the balance residual tenure and contribution of 8 lakh from Armed Forces Battle Casualty Fund.
SURVEY FINDINGS
Following Gandhi’s statements on social media, India News conducted an exclusive ground survey to understand the opinions of Indians on the matter. A significant portion of respondents (40.65%) perceived Rahul Gandhi’s comments as an insult to the armed forces, suggesting that they view his statement negatively. A notable proportion considered his statement as political propaganda (26.82%). A minority of respondents found his statement to be factless (13.00%).
A significant majority of respondents (64.22%) believed that turning the martyrdom of Agniveers into an election issue is wrong, suggesting a disapproval of such actions. A smaller percentage of respondents (8.13%) considered it an anti-national act. A notable proportion (24.39%) believes that the issue of compensation should be discussed more.
Unsurprisingly, 98.18% of respondents supported increasing financial assistance for the families of Agniveers who sacrificed their lives. No respondents disagreed with this proposal. A majority of respondents (44.71%) see the Agniveer scheme as beneficial for the country. A smaller proportion (24.39%) believes that the scheme will help increase feelings of nationalism. A minority (3.25%) views it as helpful in the war against terrorism. A significant fraction (16.26%) thinks the scheme won’t make much difference.
SURVEY ON AGNIVEER
Q.1 Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has questioned the amount of assistance given to families of martyred Agniveers. What is your opinion?
Factless statement: 13.00%
Political propaganda: 26.82%
Insult to Armymen: 40.65%
Can’t say: 19.53%
Q.2 What is your opinion on the efforts being made to turn the martyrdom of Agniveers an election issue?
It is wrong: 64.22%
Anti-national act: 8.13%
Issue should be discussed: 24.39%
Can’t say: 3.26%
Q.3 Should financial assistance be increased for the families of Agniveers who sacrificed their lives for the country?
Yes: 98.18%
No: 00.00%
Can’t say: 1.82%
Q.4 What is your opinion of the Agniveer scheme started by Prime Minister Modi?
Beneficial for the country: 44.71%
Helpful in the war against terrorism: 3.25%
Will help increase feelings of nationalism: 24.39%
Won’t make much difference: 16.26%
Can’t say: 11.39%