India grants two-year Agniveer extension and path to regular service

India's Union Cabinet has approved a two-year extension for Agniveers who were due to leave the armed forces after completing their four-year tenure. Chief of Defence Staff General N S Raja Subramani announced the decision in New Delhi shortly after the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The change affects about 18,300 Agniveers scheduled to exit by December 31. More than 300,000 soldiers recruited under the scheme are currently serving in the military.

“Today is a very significant day for the Indian defence forces and for Agniveers. The Cabinet has created a pathway for all Agniveers to be absorbed into the defence forces.”

Under the original Agnipath programme launched in June 2022, only 25 percent of recruits were retained in regular services based on merit, while the remaining 75 percent left as disciplined youth. The new measure offers that 75 percent a second two-year engagement period.

After completing six years in total, willing personnel who meet objective selection criteria will have another opportunity to enrol as regular soldiers. Performance has been tracked annually in a unified tri-services database covering the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the move as part of long-term structural reforms aimed at building a younger, fitter, technologically equipped and future-ready military. The CDS said the Cabinet has created a pathway for all Agniveers to be absorbed into the defence forces.

The announcement follows youth protests, opposition criticism over unemployment and upcoming assembly elections in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. The CDS stressed that the scheme was never intended as a static policy and that reviews had been ongoing for three to four months.