Agniveer Service Tenure Extended by Two Years

The Union Cabinet approved a scheme on November 4, 2026, to absorb 25% of Agniveers into regular forces based on merit, according to Chief of Defence Staff General N.S. Raja Subramani.

The remaining 75% of Agniveers will be offered an additional two-year engagement period, after which they will be considered for induction into the armed forces, subject to objective selection criteria.

Under the Agnipath scheme, 25% of Agniveers will be enrolled into the armed forces after completing four years of service. The remaining 75% will now have an extended engagement period of two years.

If an Agniveer is not retained after six years of service, they will not be eligible for reservation in any government jobs, as per the scheme's provisions.

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated that the decision allows all willing Agniveers to enroll as regular soldiers after completing four or six years of service, provided they meet the selection criteria.

The Agnipath scheme, introduced in 2022, recruits youth aged 17.5 to 23 years into the armed forces on a short-term basis. Currently, approximately 3,00,000 Agniveers are serving in the defense forces.