The first batch comprised around 19,000 Agniveers in the army, 2,850 in the IAF and 2,550 in the navy, according to official data.The three services have expressed satisfaction with the performance of Agniveers across roles. Officials said the scheme could be tweaked in the future to retain more Agniveers with specialised skills.
The army currently has around 270,000 Agniveers, the IAF around 27,000 and the navy roughly 21,000, the officials said.The Agnipath model marked a major departure from the militaryās decades-old recruitment system, which the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government replaced when it announced the new scheme in June 2022.The coming months will test the governmentās ability to resettle Agniveers who will be in the age group of 21-and-a-half to 25, the officials said. They will be eligible for job quotas in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), state police, Indian Railways, the coast guard and 16 defence public sector undertakings, among other organisations.
The government has already announced that half of entry-level posts in forces such as BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, and Assam Rifles will be filled by ex-Agniveers. Ahead of the upcoming first Agniveersā release, CAPFs were asked to develop training modules on internal security and law-and-order duties, given that the recruits are trained primarily for warfare.Some states, including Haryana, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, have announced job opportunities for Agniveers in their police forces.Agniveers faced a baptism of fire during Operation Sindoor last year, but their performance in the military confrontation with Pakistan, their first brush with conflict, reflected courage, resilience and composure, and helped dispel doubts about the Agnipath scheme.Soldiers recruited under the legacy system serve for about 20 years before retiring in their late 30s with a pension and other benefits including health care and canteen facilities, which Agniveers released after four years of service are not entitled to.The armyās criteria to rate the performance of its Agniveers is based on parameters including operational aptitude, weapon proficiency, physical fitness and tests to evaluate other soldierly skills.
Agniveers decorated with gallantry awards also have an edge over their peers.They draw an annual salary of ā¹4.76 lakh in the first year of service and ā¹6.92 lakh in the fourth, get a non-contributory insurance cover of ā¹48 lakh, and an additional ex-gratia payment of ā¹44 lakh for death attributable to service. Those being released now will receive ā¹11.71 lakh as Seva Nidhi severance package, which includes ā¹5.02 lakh contributed by them during their service.