FROM FOUR TO SIX YEARS: CENTRE APPROVES TWO-YEAR SERVICE EXTENSION FOR AGNIVEERS UNDER AGNIPATH

November 4, 2026

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a two-year extension of service tenure for Agniveers under the Agnipath scheme, introducing a significant change to the military recruitment framework just weeks before approximately 18,000 personnel were scheduled to complete their initial four-year engagement.

The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani said Agniveers would receive an opportunity to continue their association with the armed forces, subject to performance assessments and reviews of their service records.

Under the original Agnipath framework, recruits serve for four years, after which 25 per cent can be retained in regular military service. The newly approved arrangement introduces an additional two-year period, described by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh as a second tour of duty.

Singh said the extension would also create an opportunity for willing Agniveers to enter the regular armed forces after completing four or six years of service, provided they satisfy the prescribed selection criteria.

Describing the Cabinet decision as part of the government's broader defence reforms, the defence minister said the additional engagement period was intended to support the development of a younger, fitter and technologically equipped military capable of responding to evolving security challenges and changes in the nature of warfare.

The decision comes as the first groups recruited under the Agnipath scheme approach the completion of their initial four-year tenure, bringing a revised service pathway for personnel who would otherwise have left the armed forces.