The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved a two-year extension of service for Agniveers who are not absorbed into the regular armed forces after their first four years — a change the government calls a “Second Tour of Duty”. Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani announced the decision at a briefing in New Delhi alongside Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

Source: PIB, Ministry of Defence (via India Defence Wire)

Under the Agnipath scheme, launched on June 14, 2022, young recruits serve four years in the Army, Navy or Air Force. The top 25 per cent are enrolled into the regular cadre on merit at the end of that term, and that arrangement stays unchanged. What changes is the future of the remaining 75 per cent, who were earlier expected to leave service with a Seva Nidhi financial package.

Those 75 per cent will now be offered a second, voluntary engagement of two years, taking their total service to six years. At the end of the second tour, willing Agniveers will get another opportunity to be enrolled as regular personnel, subject to the prescribed selection criteria, according to the CDS.

What the second tour pays

Agniveers on the Second Tour of Duty will draw a fixed monthly package of Rs 43,500 in the first year and Rs 47,500 in the second, plus applicable allowances, according to details shared at the briefing and reported by BharatShakti. The package carries an enhanced Seva Nidhi component, with the government's share of the contribution rising to 70 per cent, and cumulative seniority benefits.

The decision comes just as the first Agniveer batch nears the end of its four-year tenure in November–December 2026. General Subramani said the change followed three to four months of structured inter-service review and annual performance tracking, and that the armed forces had received positive feedback on the Agniveers' performance. “The Agnipath scheme has not been discontinued. It will continue,” he said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the decision as part of long-term structural reform, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called it a historic decision for the future of Agniveers. Opposition parties, however, questioned the timing of the announcement and asked what would happen to Agniveers who are still not selected for regular service after the additional two years — a criticism reported by ANI. Those questions are political claims by the Opposition, not findings of any review.

Detailed modalities of the second tour, including the exact Seva Nidhi figures for those who complete six years, are expected to be notified by the services. The first selection for regular enrolment from the outgoing batch will proceed on the existing merit basis.