The Union Cabinet on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, approved a major change to the Agnipath recruitment scheme, offering an additional two years of service to Agniveers who are not initially selected for permanent enrolment in the armed forces.
Chief of Defence Staff General N.S. Raja Subramani announced the revised arrangement, under which 25 per cent of Agniveers will be inducted into the regular armed forces after completing their initial four-year service, based on merit and selection criteria.
The remaining 75 per cent will be offered an additional two-year engagement period, extending their total service tenure to six years.
Six Years of Service Under the Revised Arrangement
Under the revised framework, Agniveers completing the initial four-year tenure will be assessed for regular enrolment.
While 25 per cent will be selected for continued service, the remaining personnel will have the opportunity to serve for another two years.
At the end of the extended six-year engagement period, those willing to continue will be considered for enrolment into the regular armed forces, subject to prescribed objective selection criteria.
No Government Job Reservation After Six Years
The announcement also clarified that Agniveers who are not selected for regular service even after completing the extended six-year period will not receive any reservation in government jobs under the proposed arrangement.
The revised framework is expected to provide an extended service opportunity to Agniveers while retaining a merit-based selection process for regular recruitment.
The announcement marks a significant development in the Agnipath scheme, which was introduced to recruit young personnel into the Army, Navy and Air Force for an initial four-year period.