CDS announces 2-year extension for all Agniveers, Cabinet clears 25% absorption

Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani on Wednesday (4 November) announced a two-year service extension for all Agniveers after a Cabinet meeting cleared the scheme. The Cabinet also approved the absorption of 25% of Agniveers into regular forces based on merit, the CDS said. Agniveers who take the extension will be considered for permanent positions based on performance assessment and will be eligible for enhanced emoluments, Business Standard reports.

The announcement comes weeks before the three services were to begin releasing 75% of the first batch of Agniveers in mid-November. Over 18,300 of the 24,400 recruits inducted in the first round across the army, air force and navy were due to exit by 31 December. The decision to continue rests with each individual, officials told Hindustan Times. The Agnipath model, introduced in 2022, recruits soldiers for a four-year term with a provision to retain only 25% for another 15 years.

Update, 4 November 2026: Business Standard reports that the CDS said Agniveers receiving the extension will be eligible for enhanced emoluments and will be considered for permanent positions based on performance assessment. The Hindu quotes the CDS saying that after the two-year engagement period, all Agniveers will be inducted into armed forces subject to objective selection criteria.