India extends service for Agniveers by two years
The chief of defence staff announced that Agniveers completing their four-year term may serve an additional two years, with 25% eligible for regular enlistment and the rest subject to selection criteria.
The chief of defence staff said that 25% of Agniveers who finish the initial four-year engagement will be taken into regular service, while the remaining 75% will be offered a second two-year engagement period approved by the cabinet. > "After completing this two-year engagement period, all willing Agniveers will be enrolled in the Armed Forces, subject to objective selection criteria," the CDS added. The decision arrives weeks before the three services were scheduled to begin releasing three-quarters of the first batch of Agniveers, with more than 18,300 expected to leave by Dec. 31 after completing their term. The Agnipath scheme, introduced in 2022 to maintain a youthful and combat-ready force, recruits soldiers for four years and allows only 25% to continue in regular service for up to 15 years. The first recruitment round brought in about 19,000 Agniveers to the army, 2,850 to the air force and 2,550 to the navy, totaling 24,400 personnel.