Agnipath Scheme Extended, Not Rolled Back: All Eligible Agniveers to Be Absorbed After Six Years
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) clarified that the Agnipath scheme has not been rolled back (withdrawn). It has been extended with an extra period of service.
The Union Cabinet approved the change on November 4, 2026. Agniveers who are not picked for regular service after their four-year term can now get a second engagement of two years.
After four years, about 25% of each batch still join the regular cadre (permanent service) on merit. The remaining 75% become eligible for the two-year second engagement.
At the end of six years, all willing and eligible Agniveers are to be absorbed into the regular cadre, subject to objective selection standards such as fitness and discipline. Officials said there is no numerical cap on this.
Their seniority will be protected: those absorbed after six years will be placed just behind their batchmates absorbed at the four-year mark, and not below any later batch.
During the second engagement, pay is reported at ₹43,500 a month in the first year and ₹47,500 in the second year, plus allowances, with a fresh savings package. More than three lakh Agniveers now serve in the three services, and the first batch is now nearing the end of its four-year term.
Agnipath Scheme: Structure and Rationale
The Agnipath scheme is the system India has used since 2022 to recruit soldiers, sailors and airmen below the officer rank. Young people join for a fixed term of four years and are called Agniveers. Under the original design, up to 25% of each batch was selected for regular, permanent service, and the rest left with a lump-sum package called Seva Nidhi. The aim was to keep the armed forces younger and to control the rising pension bill.
The MoD's clarification is about this Second Tour of Duty. The four-year entry and the 25% first selection stay. What changes is that the other 75% are no longer sent home at four years. They get two more years and then a path to permanent service, which answers the scheme's biggest criticism about job security.
Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs): Structure and Role
The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) are armed police forces of the Union government that work under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). They guard India's borders, protect key installations, help states handle internal security problems such as insurgency and riots, and support elections. They are different from the Army, Navy and Air Force, which work under the Ministry of Defence.
Lateral entry into CAPFs was meant to be the main second career for the 75% who left after four years. With the new second engagement and eventual absorption into the armed forces, fewer Agniveers may need this route. The CAPF quota still remains an option for those who choose to leave.
- Cabinet approval of the extension: November 4, 2026; MoD says the scheme is extended, not rolled back
- First selection: about 25% absorbed into the regular cadre after 4 years
- Remaining 75%: second engagement of 2 years; then all willing and eligible absorbed after 6 years, with no numerical cap
- Seniority: placed right after batchmates absorbed at 4 years
- Second-engagement pay: ₹43,500 (year 1) and ₹47,500 (year 2) per month, plus allowances
- Agnipath announced: June 14, 2022; entry age 17.5 to 21 years
- Seva Nidhi on exit after 4 years: about ₹11.71 lakh; life insurance cover ₹48 lakh
- More than 3 lakh Agniveers serving across the three services