The Cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to extend the engagement period of Agniveers by two years. The announcemnet in this regard was made by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General N S Raja Subramaniam . He said that 25 per cent of Agniveers will be enrolled into the regular Indian Armed Forces after completing their initial four-year tenure, while the remaining 75 per cent will be given an additional two years of engagement period.
While addressing the media, General Subramaniam said that after completing the extended two-year period, all Agniveers will be given an opportunity to become regular soldiers in the Indian Armed Forces.
“We will evaluate their performance and also their willingness is required,” he added.
Notably, Times Now had reported on Friday that a decision to extend the service period of Agniveers had been taken at a higher level.
The four-year service tenure of Agniveers in the Navy is scheduled to end on November 21. Agniveers in the Air Force will complete their tenure on December 21, while those in the Army will finish their service on December 31.
Under the original arrangement, 75 per cent of the total Agniveers inducted were supposed to be released after completing four years of service. However, the individual services conducted a study and submitted recommendations, proposing an increase in the number of personnel to be retained.
The Agnipath scheme was introduced in 2022, under which personnel recruited into the armed forces are known as Agniveers. They were initially required to serve for four years, including six months of training.
As part of the first batch, 24,400 Agniveers were recruited into the Army, Air Force and Navy. Under the old decision, by the end of December, 75 per cent which is around 18,300, were to go back home after four years of service. Agniveers so enrolled under the scheme will not be eligible for any kind of Pension or Gratuity.
Bureau Report
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