First batch of 18k Agniveers set to leave forces by Dec 31, focus now on second career opportunities

More than 18,000 Agniveers from the first batch are set to leave the armed forces by December 31 after completing their four-year tenure under the Agnipath recruitment scheme, shifting the focus to second-career opportunities available to them, officials aware of the matter said on Sunday.

The three services, the navy followed by the air force and the army, will begin releasing 75% of Agniveers from their first batch in phases starting mid-November, the officials said, asking not to be named.

The Agnipath recruitment model—long a political flashpoint because it cuts the tenure of personnel below officer rank and offers them fewer service benefits—was introduced in 2022 with the aim of keeping the armed forces young and combat-ready. Under Agnipath, soldiers are recruited for a four-year term, with a provision to retain only 25% of them in regular service for another 15 years.

Around 18,300 Agniveers are set to leave, accounting for three-fourths of the 24,400 recruits inducted into the army, air force and navy in the first round of recruitment. The first batch comprised around 19,000 Agniveers in the army, 2,850 in the IAF and 2,550 in the navy, according to official data.

The three services have expressed satisfaction with the performance of Agniveers across roles. Officials said the scheme could be tweaked in the future to retain more Agniveers with specialised skills. The army currently has around 270,000 Agniveers, the IAF around 27,000 and the navy roughly 21,000, the officials said.

The Agnipath model marked a major departure from the military’s decades-old recruitment system, which the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government replaced when it announced the new scheme in June 2022.

The coming months will test the government’s ability to resettle Agniveers who will be in the age group of 21-and-a-half to 25, the officials said. They will be eligible for job quotas in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), state police, Indian Railways, the coast guard and 16 defence public sector undertakings, among other organisations. The government has already announced that half of entry-level posts in forces such as BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, and Assam Rifles will be filled by ex-Agniveers. Ahead of the upcoming first Agniveers’ release, CAPFs were asked to develop training modules on internal security and law-and-order duties, given that the recruits are trained primarily for warfare.

Some states, including Haryana, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, have announced job opportunities for Agniveers in their police forces.

Agniveers faced a baptism of fire during Operation Sindoor last year, but their performance in the military confrontation with Pakistan, their first brush with conflict, reflected courage, resilience and composure, and helped dispel doubts about the Agnipath scheme.

Soldiers recruited under the legacy system serve for about 20 years before retiring in their late 30s with a pension and other benefits including health care and canteen facilities, which Agniveers released after four years of service are not entitled to.

The army’s criteria to rate the performance of its Agniveers is based on parameters including operational aptitude, weapon proficiency, physical fitness and tests to evaluate other soldierly skills. Agniveers decorated with gallantry awards also have an edge over their peers.

They draw an annual salary of ₹4.76 lakh in the first year of service and ₹6.92 lakh in the fourth, get a non-contributory insurance cover of ₹48 lakh, and an additional ex-gratia payment of ₹44 lakh for death attributable to service. Those being released now will receive ₹11.71 lakh as Seva Nidhi severance package, which includes ₹5.02 lakh contributed by them during their service.