The Centre has announced a two-year extension of the engagement period for Agniveers under the Agnipath scheme, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General NS Raja Subramani said on Wednesday.
Addressing the media, General Subramani said that 75% of Agniveers, who were earlier required to leave the Armed Forces after completing their four-year tenure, will now be offered an additional two years of Service.
After completing the extended engagement period, Agniveers who wish to continue serving in the Armed Forces will be eligible for enrolment, subject to objective selection criteria.
Under the original Agnipath scheme, introduced on June 14, 2022, only 25% of Agniveers were eligible for enrolment into the regular Armed Forces based on merit. The remaining 75% were required to leave after completing four years of service.
However, under the revised arrangement, the 75% who were earlier required to exit will be offered an additional two-year engagement period.
At the end of these two years, those willing to continue in the Armed Forces can be considered for enrolment, subject to the prescribed selection criteria.
Calling it a significant development for the Indian Defence Forces and Agniveers, General Subramani said the decision followed positive feedback on the performance of Agniveers over the past four years.
“The first batch of Agniveers is now nearing the completion of their four-year tenure,” he said.
He added that the Agnipath scheme had provided for continuous performance evaluations and periodic reviews since its introduction in 2022.
“Based on the performance evaluations conducted over these four years, we have received very positive feedback regarding their performance,” the CDS said.
He further explained that while 25% of Agniveers were initially eligible to join the regular forces based on merit, the remaining 75% were expected to return to civilian life as disciplined and motivated young people.
Under the updated arrangement, however, this group will now get an additional two years of engagement before being considered for enrolment into the Armed Forces, subject to objective selection criteria.
Agnipath scheme was introduced by the Union Cabinet in 2022 for enrolling ‘Agniveers’ in the Armed Forces under respective Service Acts for a period of four years.
The decision comes amid the criticism of the shorter period of engagement, which also led to many states including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra and others providing reservations for Agniveers in police and other services.
The scheme was introduced to provide opportunity to the youth to serve the country and contribute to nation-building and Armed Forces profile to be youthful and dynamic.
(With inputs from news agency ANI)
