Army weighs posting Agniveers to RR units in Jammu and Kashmir

The Indian Army is reviewing the feasibility of posting Agniveers who have completed their four-year tenure to Rashtriya Rifles (RR) units specialising in counterterrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), officials familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

This includes the 25% of Agniveers selected on merit for permanent service, as well as those offered a two-year extended tenure and another opportunity to join as regular soldiers under the revised Agnipath scheme unveiled last week, the officials said.

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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.

“Agniveers have been performing counterterrorism duties in regular infantry units. However, they were not posted to RR battalions because the composition of these units did not permit an effective assessment of Agniveers,” said one of the officials. RR units comprise soldiers drawn from different battalions of a particular regiment (say Jat or Rajput), as well as the armoured corps and artillery.

“Posting Agniveers to RR units could have created disparities in their assessment, with some serving in their parent units and others in RR battalions. The Army has so far been able to meet the requirement of RR units without posting Agniveers there. But with the first batch completing four years of service and the revised scheme now in place, the posting policy is being reviewed,” said another official.

Rules governing marriage and leave are also under review, the officials said.

Revised Agnipath Scheme and Extended Service

The changes in the Agnipath scheme were cleared by the Cabinet and unveiled by Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani on November 4. The revamped scheme 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.

The Agnipath reboot was announced 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.

Options for Agniveers and Upcoming Batches

The three services have reached out to Agniveers from the first batch to explain the options available to them, the benefits of continued service, and the terms of permanent enrolment, the officials said. The exercise is aimed at helping them make an informed choice, particularly in the absence of job quotas in civilian employment, they added. 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.

The latest batches of Agniveers from the Army, Navy and Air Force will leave their training establishments between November 13 and December 31 and join service.