Agniveer service tenure extended by two years, CDS announces
The Union Cabinet has approved a two-year second tour of duty for Agniveers under the Agnipath scheme.
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a scheme to extend the service of Agniveers by two years, according to The Hindu. Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General N.S. Raja Subramani announced that the remaining 75 per cent of Agniveers will be offered an additional two-year engagement period after their initial four-year term.
Under the revised arrangement, all willing Agniveers can be enrolled into the armed forces after completing six years of service, provided they meet objective selection criteria. Currently, 25 per cent of Agniveers are absorbed into regular forces based on merit after four years. If an Agniveer is not retained after the six-year period, they will not receive any government job reservations.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the decision allows willing recruits to seek regular enrolment following their four or six-year tenures. He stated the move is part of long-term structural reforms to create a younger and technologically equipped military to meet the changing character of warfare.
The Agnipath scheme was introduced in 2022 for the recruitment of youth between 17.5 and 23 years into the Army, Navy and Air Force. Around 18,300 Agniveers were expected to leave the forces by December 31 after completing their four-year term.
The Army, Navy and Air Force have submitted recommendations for these changes based on four years of experience implementing the scheme. There are currently approximately 3,00,000 Agniveers in the defence forces.