Agnipath Yojana (Agniveer Recruitment Scheme)

What is Agnipath Yojana?

Agnipath Yojana is a recruitment scheme of the Ministry of Defence, launched on 14 June 2022, under which young men and women are enrolled into the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force as "Agniveers" for a fixed engagement of four years. It is the single entry route for recruitment of soldiers, sailors and airmen below officer rank across the three services.

According to the Ministry of Defence, Agnipath Yojana was introduced to build a younger, fitter and more technologically adept armed force while giving a large number of youth the opportunity to serve the nation. Agniveers form a distinct rank in the armed forces, separate from the existing ranks, for the duration of their engagement.

Main features

• A four-year engagement in the armed forces, including the training period.
• A monthly "Agniveer package" that rises each year, with 30 per cent set aside towards a Seva Nidhi corpus.
• A tax-free Seva Nidhi lump sum of about Rs 11.71 lakh on completion.
• Up to 25 per cent of each batch retained in the regular cadre on merit for a further engagement of about 15 years.
• Life insurance cover, death and disability compensation during service.

Who is eligible for Agnipath Yojana?

You can apply if:

• You are an Indian citizen (or as otherwise notified for specific categories).
• You are between 17.5 and 21 years of age at the time specified in the notification, and unmarried.
• You meet the educational qualification for the entry you are applying to. For example, the Agniveer (General Duty) entry generally requires a Class 10 pass, while technical entries require Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. Clerk/Store Keeper and Tradesman entries have their own criteria.
• You meet the physical and medical standards: height, weight, chest measurement, running, and medical fitness; laid down for the service and region.

You cannot apply if:

• You are younger than 17.5 or older than 21 years at the notified cut-off. (The one-time relaxation to 23 years applied only to the first 2022 cycle.)
• You do not meet the minimum educational or medical standard for the entry.
• You are already in permanent service in the armed forces; Agnipath is an entry scheme, not a lateral route for serving personnel.

Women are eligible for Agniveer vacancies in the branches that each service opens to them; when no women's vacancies are notified for a cycle, women cannot apply for that particular entry.

What benefits does an Agniveer receive?

Agnipath Yojana pays a monthly Agniveer package that increases over the four years:

Each Agniveer contributes 30 per cent of the monthly package to the Agniveer Corpus Fund, and the government contributes a matching amount. On completion of the four-year engagement, the accumulated corpus with interest. A Seva Nidhi of about Rs 11.71 lakh — is paid to the Agniveer. The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the Seva Nidhi is exempt from income tax.

In addition, Agniveers receive:

• A non-contributory life insurance cover of Rs 48 lakh for the duration of the engagement.
• Death compensation: in case of death attributable to service, an ex-gratia of Rs 44 lakh, plus the pay for the unserved portion of the four years, plus the full Seva Nidhi are paid to the next of kin, in addition to the insurance.
• Disability compensation of Rs 44 lakh, Rs 25 lakh or Rs 15 lakh, based on the degree of disability (100, 75 or 50 per cent) certified by the medical authorities.
• A skill certificate describing the skills and experience gained, to help in civilian employment after release.

Agniveers who are not retained in the regular cadre after four years do not receive pension or gratuity. Those who are retained (up to 25 per cent of each batch) continue on the regular terms of service applicable to their rank.

Which entries and services recruit Agniveers?

Agnipath Yojana is the common recruitment route for all three services, but the entries and standards differ:

• Indian Army recruits Agniveers in categories such as Agniveer (General Duty), Agniveer (Technical), Agniveer (Clerk / Store Keeper Technical), Agniveer (Tradesman) with Class 10 and Class 12, and Women Military Police. Each category has its own educational and physical standard.
• Indian Navy recruits Agniveers in the SSR (Senior Secondary Recruit) and MR (Matric Recruit) streams, and opens vacancies to women in specified entries.
• Indian Air Force recruits Agniveervayu through a combined online examination followed by physical and medical tests.

All Agniveers undergo military training after enrolment and are then deployed as per the needs of the service. Their terms; pay, Seva Nidhi, leave, insurance and discipline: are governed by the Agnipath scheme rules and the enrolment conditions of the concerned service, and are the same across the four-year engagement regardless of where they are posted.

How to apply for Agnipath Yojana

1. Watch for the notification on the recruitment portal of the service you want to join: joinindianarmy.nic.in (Army), agnipathvayu.cdac.in (Air Force) or joinindiannavy.gov.in (Navy).
2. Register and fill the online application on that portal during the open window, entering your personal, educational and category details and uploading the required documents.
3. Appear for the online common entrance examination at the allotted centre on the scheduled date, and download your admit card in advance.
4. Clear the physical fitness test (running, pull-ups, and other events as applicable) and the physical measurement test at the recruitment rally.
5. Undergo the medical examination at the designated military hospital.
6. Check the merit list published on the portal; selected candidates receive enrolment details and report for training as Agniveers.

Each service issues its own detailed notification with the exact schedule, vacancies, standards and syllabus. Always follow the instructions in the current official notification rather than older cycles.

Where Agniveers serve after four years

Towards the end of the four-year engagement, all Agniveers are assessed. Based on merit, medical category and the requirement of the service, up to 25 per cent of each batch is offered enrolment in the regular cadre for a further engagement of about 15 years, on the existing terms of the concerned rank. The remaining Agniveers are released with the Seva Nidhi and their skill certificate.

Several central and state government departments, central armed police forces and public sector undertakings have separately announced reservation or preference for released Agniveers ("Agniveers" in CAPF and Assam Rifles recruitment, for example). These reservations are governed by the notifications of those individual departments, not by the Ministry of Defence, so check each recruiter's rules.

Help and where to apply

Agnipath Yojana does not run a single national helpline. Candidates should use the contact details and helpdesk published in the current recruitment notification of the service they are applying to, or approach the nearest Army recruiting office, Navy recruitment cell or Air Force selection centre. Beware of agents who promise selection for a fee; recruitment is on merit through the official portals only, and there is no fee to register.