Agniveers free to marry after four years, military outreach to clarify rules

The armed forces are expected to allow Agniveers to marry after completing their four-year tenure, including the 25% selected on merit for permanent service and those granted a two-year extension and another opportunity to enrol as regular soldiers under the revised Agnipath scheme, officials familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

The revamped Agnipath scheme was unveiled on November 4. (PTI)The marriage restriction will remain in force only during the initial four-year service period, the officials said. Only young men and women aged between 17 and a half, and 21 are eligible for recruitment under the scheme.

The marriage factor is among the issues being addressed in a tri-service outreach programme to brief the first batch of Agniveers on the options available after completing their four-year tenure, the officials said. This includes marriage cases expected during the two-year extension, or “second tour of duty,” as well as verifying the marital status of those opting for the extension, the officials added.

The outreach aims to help Agniveers make an informed choice, particularly in the absence of job quotas in civilian employment. Job quotas announced by the Central Armed Police Forces, state governments, defence public sector undertakings and other organisations for Agniveers have been scrapped because they can now opt for full-term military service.

Leave enhancement for Agniveers on the second tour of duty is also being considered, the officials added. Agniveers currently get 30 days of leave in the initial engagement period, compared to a total of 90 days for regular soldiers.

The Army is reviewing the feasibility of posting Agniveers who have completed their four-year tenure to Rashtriya Rifles (RR) units specialising in counter-terrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), as first reported by HT.

This includes 25% of Agniveers selected on merit for permanent service, and those offered a two-year extension and another opportunity to join as regular soldiers under the revised Agnipath scheme. The proposed move is significant as Agniveers have so far been excluded from extra-regimental postings, despite serving in regular infantry units deployed along the Line of Control in J&K, and in the hinterland.

They were not posted to RR battalions because the composition of those units did not permit an effective assessment of Agniveers in the initial four-year service period. The revamped Agnipath scheme was cleared by the Cabinet and unveiled by Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani on November 4.

It will apply exclusively to the 300,000 Agniveers currently in service. It is expected to undergo further changes for recruits inducted after December 31. All existing Agniveers will become permanent after the two-year extended service, subject to meeting specific eligibility criteria and individual consent.

Subramani announced the Agnipath reboot weeks before the three services were set to release 75% of Agniveers from their first batch after four years of service, retaining only the 25% selected on merit for another 15 years under the scheme’s earlier provisions.

Around 18,300 Agniveers were set to be discharged between mid-November and December 31, forming three-fourths of the 24,400 recruits inducted into the Army, Air Force and Navy in the first round of recruitment.