New Delhi: After completing an additional two-year tenure, all Agniveers will be eligible for enrollment as regular soldiers, subject to their willingness and meeting the selection criteria, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday.
Singh’s remarks during an interaction with air warriors at West Bengal’s Bagdogra Air Force station came three days 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.
Singh said the decision is a “significant Diwali gift for Agniveers” and reiterated the government’s commitment to the welfare of the defence forces personnel and their families.
The step would provide Agniveers with another opportunity to serve the nation, he said.
Upon completion of the two-year engagement period, all Agniveers will get an opportunity to be enrolled as regular soldiers, subject to their willingness and their meeting selection criteria, he said.
Under the Agnipath scheme initiated in June, 2022, soldiers were recruited for a four-year term, with a provision to retain only 25 per cent of them in regular services.
Chief of Defence Staff Gen N S Raja Subramani announced the changes in the scheme on 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.
At present, over 3,00,000 soldiers recruited under the Agnipath scheme are serving in the military.
Gen Subramani said the government’s decision will open a “pathway” for all Agniveers, ensuring almost all of them are going to be absorbed into the defence forces.
Defence officials said on Friday that all serving Agniveers will be absorbed as regular soldiers after six years of service, provided they are willing to continue, physically fit, and disciplined. The Agnipath recruitment scheme has not been rolled back, they insisted.
The Agnipath recruitment scheme was introduced to bring down the age profile of the three services. It provides for recruiting youths between the age bracket of 17 and a 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.
