New Delhi: All serving Agniveers will be absorbed as regular soldiers after six years of service, provided they are willing to continue, physically fit and disciplined, defence officials said Thursday, insisting that the Agnipath recruitment scheme has not been rolled back.
The clarification came a day after the government announced that Agniveers set to exit the military at the end of their four-year tenure will be given an additional two-year extension and subsequent permanent recruitment subject to meeting specific eligibility criteria.
Under the Agnipath scheme initiated in June 2022, soldiers were recruited for a four-year term, with a provision to retaining only 25 per cent of them in regular services.
Chief of Defence Staff Gen N S Raja Subramani announced the changes in the scheme Wednesday just over three weeks before around 18,300 Agniveers were to exit the armed forces after completing their four-year tenure.
The decision to provide an additional two-year extension and subsequent permanent recruitment was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“All Agniveers will now be absorbed in the regular cadre. The first 25 per cent will be absorbed after the first engagement period of four years, and all of the balance 75 per cent will be absorbed (without any limit) after the second engagement period,” said a defence official.
“The key criteria are that the Agniveer must be willing, physically fit and disciplined,” said another official.
The seniority of the Agniveers will be protected, the officials added.
“On becoming regular soldiers, they will be placed immediately after their own batchmates who joined the regular cadre after four years. They will therefore not become junior to any subsequent batch,” the second official said.
The officials said Agnipath scheme has not been rolled back.
Only another engagement period of two years has been introduced, which creates a pathway for all Agniveers to be absorbed as regular soldiers after this engagement period, they said.
The announcement to revamp the Agnipath scheme came amid youth protests, opposition attacks over joblessness, and upcoming assembly elections in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
At present, over 300,000 soldiers recruited under the Agnipath scheme are operating in the military.
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) on Wednesday described the government’s decision as the opening of a “pathway” for all Agniveers, ensuring almost all of them are going to be absorbed into the defence forces.
“Today is a very significant day for the Indian defence forces and for our Agniveers,” he said.
In June 2022, the government rolled out the Agnipath recruitment scheme with an aim to bring down the age profile of the three services.
The scheme provides for recruiting youths between the age bracket of 17-and-half years and 21 for four years.
Several opposition parties, including the Congress, had targeted the government over the scheme, wondering what will happen to 75 per cent of the Agniveers after their four-year tenure ends, as only 25 per cent of the total recruits will be retained for 15 years.
