Download AppNewsIndiaAgnipath reset: All Agniveers get another shot at permanent military jobs The Union Cabinet has approved a two-year extension for Agniveers not retained after their initial four-year tenure, giving them another opportunity to join the armed forces as regular soldiers, subject to selection criteria. The decision, based on a review by the three services, comes weeks before nearly 18,300 Agniveers are due to exit by December 31.Big Agnipath change: All Agniveers get a route to permanent military jobsNew Delhi,Nov 4, 2026 22:00 ISTThe Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved major changes to the Agnipath scheme, allowing Agniveers who are not retained after their initial four-year tenure to serve for an additional two years.
After completing the extended period, they will have the opportunity to be recruited as regular soldiers, subject to their willingness and fulfilment of the prescribed selection criteria. This effectively gives all Agniveers another opportunity to secure permanent military jobs.Chief of Defence Staff Gen NS Raja Subramani announced the decision after the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accepted recommendations made by the three services following a detailed review.
The revision comes just over three weeks before nearly 18,300 Agniveers are due to leave the armed forces by December 31.Addressing a press conference with Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Gen Subramani said the Cabinet's decision had created a route for all Agniveers to be absorbed into the armed forces. He described it as an important development for both the services and the recruits.
Top developmentsThe Union Cabinet has approved an additional two-year engagement for Agniveers who are not selected for regular service after their initial four-year tenure. After completing six years, they will have another opportunity to join the regular forces, subject to their willingness and fulfilment of the prescribed selection criteria.
Introduced in June 2022, the Agnipath scheme recruited young people for a four-year tenure. At the end of this period, only 25 per cent of each batch could be retained in the regular forces on merit, while the remaining 75 per cent had to leave military service.
Those selected for regular service after the initial four-year tenure will continue in the armed forces. They will retain seniority over those recruited into the regular forces after completing the additional two-year engagement.
According to Chief of Defence Staff Gen Subramani, the second engagement period will offer higher pay, a larger Seva Nidhi package and seniority benefits. The extension is intended to give Agniveers not selected in the first round a longer opportunity to serve.
Gen Subramani said an assessment of organisational needs and operational efficiency found that Agniveers had performed well in skills, motivation, physical fitness and the use of technology. The extension followed detailed evaluations and feedback to align their aspirations with the military's requirements Asked whether the revised arrangement would apply to future recruitment, Gen Subramani did not give a direct answer.
He said the provisions were currently in place and recalled that the government had kept the scheme open to changes based on performance evaluations and periodic reviews. The government introduced Agnipath to lower the age profile of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
Gen Subramani said it had also opened several branches of the armed forces to women and improved skills and technological adaptability. More than three lakh Agnipath recruits are currently serving in the military.
The scheme initially recruited people aged 17-and-a-half to 21 for four years and was also intended to reduce the military's rising pension expenditure. Several Union government agencies and state governments had announced plans to employ former Agniveers.
Gen Subramani said such arrangements would no longer be needed under the revised system. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the additional two years as a "Second Tour of Duty" and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the decision.
He said willing Agniveers who met the selection standards would get an opportunity to join the regular forces after four or six years, calling it part of long-term structural changes to prepare the military for future warfare. The Congress called the announcement a "U-turn" and said Rahul Gandhi had opposed the scheme when it was introduced in 2022.
Party leader Pawan Khera alleged that the changes were driven by upcoming Assembly elections in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur and Himachal Pradesh. He reiterated that the government would eventually have to withdraw what he called a flawed scheme. - Ends