What is the Agnipath Scheme?

It’s a government program where selected candidates serve in the Armed Forces for four years.

Agniveers are individuals recruited under the Agnipath Scheme to serve in the Armed Forces.

How long will Agniveers serve in the Armed Forces?

Agniveers will serve for four years.

Can Agniveers continue serving after four years?

Up to 25% of Agniveers may be selected for permanent roles based on performance and the needs of the Armed Forces.

What are the benefits of being an Agniveer?

Agniveers receive a monthly salary, risk bonuses, and a one-time SevaNidhi package of ₹11.71 lakh after four years.

What is the Agnipath Scheme?

It’s a government program where selected candidates serve in the Armed Forces for four years.

Agniveers are individuals recruited under the Agnipath Scheme to serve in the Armed Forces.

How long will Agniveers serve in the Armed Forces?

Agniveers will serve for four years.

Can Agniveers continue serving after four years?

Up to 25% of Agniveers may be selected for permanent roles based on performance and the needs of the Armed Forces.

What are the benefits of being an Agniveer?

Agniveers receive a monthly salary, risk bonuses, and a one-time SevaNidhi package of ₹11.71 lakh after four years.

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What Is The Agniveer Program Under The Agnipath Scheme 2025?

Pragya Pathak

Author

Updated: 24-03-2025 at 3:30 PM

The Indian military recently unveiled its new human resources initiative, the ‘Agnipath Scheme’. Those joining through this govt scheme will be referred to as Agniveers. Persons who become Agniveers in the IAF will serve under the Air Force Act of 1950 for a term of four years.

The objective is to recruit Agniveers from all across India through computer-based tests and entrance tests, recruitment drives, and campus interviews at leading technical institutes. Agniveers will have a rank in the Air Force independent from the standard rank system.

Overview

Name of the program	Agnipath
Launched under	Ministry of Defence
Launched in	2022
In forces	Army, Navy, Air Force
Duration of the service	4 years

What Is Agnipath Yojana?

The Agnipath Scheme in the Indian Armed Forces is a program launched in 2022 where selected candidates will serve for four years. Based on the needs of the Armed Forces and their policies, those who complete their four years may apply to continue serving permanently. Up to 25% of candidates may be selected to transition into full-time regular roles in the Armed Forces.

Who Are Agniveers?

Those selected under the Agnipath Scheme are called Agniveers. The government describes the program as allowing "patriotic and motivated youth aged 17.5 to 21 years to serve in the Armed Forces for four years."

This will make the Armed Forces younger while also modernising them with new technology, which is important today.

Benefits

Several benefits come along with the Agniveer program. Some of its major benefits are laid down below:

Access to insurance coverage worth Rs. 48 lakhs for the duration of service.
After the completion of tenure, Agniveers are provided with a Seva Nidhi package worth Rs. 11.71 lakhs with interest.
25% of the Agniveers will be selected for continued regular service.
Agniveers also get special reservations after their service period in forces such as state police, CAPF, etc.

What Is The Eligibility For The Agniveer Program?

Individuals interested in applying for the program first need to ensure whether they fit into the eligibility criteria or not. The eligibility criteria are as follows:

The applicant’s nationality has to be Indian.
For each admission, the applicant’s age at the time of enrolment in the 2022 academic year must be 17 years to 23 years. These include that, for future intakes, the age should be between 17 years to 21 years.
The applicant affirms to physical and medical standards as prescribed by the Indian Army, Indian Navy, or Indian Air Force and possession of minimum educational qualification.

Note 1: Agniveers shall serve the Forces for four years during which they shall be governed by the respective service laws. They will have their rank, which will in no way be similar to the existing ones.

Note 2: Agniveers may seek Permanent employment in the Force after 4 years of service depending on need, forces, and the policy on recruitment.

Note 3: Applications for regular commission will be considered together based on the performance of the concerned batch in 4 years and 25% of each batch may be taken over into the regular forces from the present Forces. The Forces, however, will be the final to decide in this regard.

Note 4: Each Agniveer is expected to be fit for the medical requirements of the category/job in the Forces.

Note 5: The joining qualifications will not change for Agniveers as they join for the remaining categories of the force.

1. Physical Eligibility Criteria For Army

The physical eligibility criteria for individuals interested in joining the army as Agniveers will be tested through:

1.6 km running
Pull-ups
9 Feet ditch
Zig-Zag balance

2. Physical Eligibility Criteria For Navy

As per the physical eligibility criteria for the Navy, the minimum height is required to be 157 cm for males and 152 cm for females and the weight should be proportionate as per the age. There are pre-determined visual criteria as well:

Without glasses: A better eye is 6/6 and a worse eye is 6/9.
With glasses: A better eye is 6/6 and a worse eye is 6/6.

3. Physical Eligibility Criteria For Air Force

Gender	1.6 km Running	Squats	Push-ups	Bent Knee Situps
Male	6 minutes 30 seconds	20	12	–
Female	8 minutes	15	–	10

Application Process

Interested and eligible individuals can apply for the govt program by following some simple steps described below:

Step 1: Enrollment will happen through an online central system for all three services. There will be specialised recruitment events and campus interviews at recognised technical schools. These include Industrial Training Institutes and those under the National Skills Qualifications Framework.

Step 2: Enrollment will be open to all classes and regions across India.

Step 3: Candidates will be selected using the current selection process used by the Armed Forces. This includes methods used by the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.

Life After 4 Years

The government has provided clarification on opportunities for Agniveers after four years of service as follows:

They will be prioritised for roles in Central Armed Police Forces, Assam Rifles, and Police and Allied Forces in several states.
Agniveers will gain valuable skills and experience in fields like law enforcement, engineering, and mechanics.
Large companies have said they will prefer hiring capable and well-behaved former Agniveers.
Agniveers will also get priority for bank loans if wanting to start their businesses.
Those wanting further education will receive a Class 12 equivalent certificate and a "Bridging Course" to continue their studies.

Documents Required

To successfully apply for the Agniveer scheme, one needs to submit some supporting documents. The list of those documents is as follows:

Please note that this is the general list of documents. You might be required to add more as per the kind of defence force you might be applying for.

Selection Process

An applicant is required to clear the written examination first to appear for the second round. The further rounds are related to physical criteria after clearing which one will move further towards the joining of defence forces as an Agniveer.

Challenges

Despite all the benefits of the Agniveer program, several challenges in the program are also a cause of concern for the applicants:

As the period of service is very short, the post-employment period is very hectic for the Agniveers.
There are no pension benefits and the Seva Nidhi package is also a one-time payment package which increases the factors of financial uncertainty.
Post-service, Agniveers often face difficulties in adapting back to their life which may deteriorate both, their physical and mental health.

Conclusion

The Agniveer program is one of the most unique programs started by the government of India to pave the way for fresh and young minds to join the defence forces for a limited period (extendable based on performance) and imbibe the feeling of national security in them.

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