New Delhi: The three out of four Agniveers who were to hand back their uniform after four years now have two more years to earn it, and a fresh shot at a permanent place in the military. Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani announced the change at a press briefing on Wednesday, saying the Cabinet had created the provision.
"Today is a very significant day for the Indian Defence Forces and for our Agniveers," he said. "The Cabinet has created a pathway for all Agniveers to be absorbed into the Indian Armed Forces."
Under the Agnipath scheme, rolled out on June 14, 2022, 25% of every batch was eligible for enrolment into the regular forces on merit. The remaining 75% returned to civilian life once the four-year term ended. The first batch, recruited in 2022, is now reaching the end of that term.
The revised arrangement offers that 75% an additional two years of engagement. After the extended period, those who want to continue will be considered for enrolment into the armed forces, the CDS said, subject to "objective selection criteria".
He did not spell out what those criteria are, how many vacancies will be on offer, or whether the terms will be identical across the Army, Navy and Air Force. Nor did he put a number on the first batch now coming up to its exit date.
Subramani said the performance of Agniveers had been evaluated continuously through the four years and that the scheme was reviewed from time to time. The feedback the services received on their work, he said, had been "very positive".
For the individual recruit, the practical effect is that the decision point moves two years later: two more years of pay and training, and a second attempt at the job most of them signed up for. What the announcement does not do is guarantee that job. The 25% ceiling on regular enrolment has not been publicly revised, and the selection after six years remains a competition.
Recruitment under the scheme runs through the three services' rallies and online tests, and the intake that joined in 2022 was the first to be trained under the new terms. Whether the extra two years will also apply to batches still in training is among the questions the services have not answered publicly.