Central government to extend service by 2 years for Agniveers joining by December 31

The Central government is introducing a provision for two years of additional service for Agniveers who join the service by December 31, by amending the structure of the Agnipath scheme. According to a report by Hindustan Times, the primary objective of this revised scheme is to give another chance to those soldiers who missed out on permanent selection under previous rules, allowing them to remain in uniform for two more years and gain a new opportunity to become regular soldiers.

According to official information, this new structure will apply only to the 3,00,000 Agniveers currently in service. The Cabinet has approved the scheme, and it was announced on November 4 by Chief of Defence Staff General N.S. Raja Subramani. Further changes may be made to the scheme in the future for new candidates recruited after December 31.

Recent batches of Agniveers will complete their training and join the service between November 13 and December 31. At INS Chilka, the Navy's massive training facility in Odisha, more than 2,700 Naval Agniveers will pass out on November 13 after completing their 16-week basic training. Navy Chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan will be the chief guest and reviewing officer on this occasion. This will be the largest pass-out batch in the history of Chilka. Along with Naval Agniveers, more than 600 regular sailors of the Coast Guard will also complete their training. Air Force Agniveers will pass out in mid-December, and the first batch of the Army under the new model will pass out on December 31.

According to the provision before this amendment, after the completion of four years of service for the first batch of Agniveers, only 25% of the meritorious soldiers were retained for the next 15 years, while the remaining 75% were released. Out of 24,400 candidates who joined in the first round of recruitment, approximately 18,300 Agniveers were to be released between mid-November and December 31. However, now, under the revised scheme, all current Agniveers, if they meet the prescribed eligibility criteria and provide their own consent, can become permanent after this two-year additional service.

This new model is likely to increase government expenditure, as all Agniveers will receive full-time military service, leading to higher payments for salary, pension, and gratuity. A financial review will be conducted in this regard. However, officials have stated that funding will not be a hindrance. According to one official, "The increase in expenditure will be offset by savings in training costs, as the Agnipath reset will not require additional training. In any case, national security is more important than financial matters."

The government has allocated ₹17,396 crore for the Agnipath scheme in the 2026-27 defence budget, representing a significant jump of 58% from the estimated ₹11,039 crore for 2025-26. The budget for this scheme for 2024-25 was ₹7,471 crore. Additionally, the government's pension bill is also steadily increasing. In the 2026-27 defence budget, a provision of ₹1.71 lakh crore has been made for pensions, which is higher than the estimate of ₹1.60 lakh crore for 2025-26.