TV
Nandakishore Nag had only dreamt of being treated as a celebrity one day and get a rousing welcome in his own village. Well, dreams do come true and Nandakishore proved it.
While some villagers garlanded him, some others raised slogans like Bharat Mata Ki Jai. Nandakishore, who left as a labourer, returned to Khalipathara village under Bolangir’s Belapada block as a soldier, thanks to the Agniveer scheme.
Nandakishore toiled hard in the fields. Sometimes carried sand, and sometimes laid bricks to put two square meals on the plates of his family. His financial situation deteriorated after his father was bedridden following a paralysis attack.
However, he never lost hope. He kept waiting for the opportunity, and it finally knocked on his door in the form of Agniveer in 2022. The Centre had just launched the Agniveer scheme. Nanadakishore, who always dreamt to become a soldier, grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
He applied for the job and was selected. Went to Bihar to undergo a six-month training and returned to his village as an Agniveer.
“I was the one on whose shoulders the responsibility of the family fell after my father was bedridden. From hospitals to working as a labourer and studying in between, I managed to accomplish all,” said Nandakishore.
"I struggled a lot but finally got this job. I am very happy to be selected as an Agniveer,” he said.
His father, Kalia Nag who cannot get up from the bed without help, was visibly elated on his son’s achievement. Speaking to OTV, he said, “He (Nandakishore) wanted to join a private company for a job. But I insisted him to study and prepare for a government job. I am very happy today that he has returned as an Agniveer.”
Not just Nandkishore, 15 other youths from Bolangir district were also selected for the same job in 2022. And after training for six months, they have now returned on a 30-day leave to their village.
Later, there was also a warm welcome accorded to the Agniveers by the Retired Soldiers Association of Bolangir.
The Union Cabinet introduced the short-term defence recruitment policy called Agnipath in June 2022. The Cabinet Committee on Security took the historic decision under which Indian youths would be granted an opportunity to get inducted into the Armed Services.
