Passing out parade of over 2,700 Agniveers at INS Chilka today

More than 2,700 Navy Agniveers will complete their 16-week ab-initio training and pass out of the INS Chilka training facility in Odisha today, officials said.

This will be the first batch of Agniveers to join service after the government rolled out a revised Agnipath framework offering those who miss out on retention two additional years in uniform and another chance at becoming regular soldiers. More than 600 regular Naviks of the Coast Guard will also complete their training alongside the Navy Agniveers.

Navy chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan will be the chief guest and reviewing officer of the passing out parade in Chilka. The latest batches of Army and Indian Air Force Agniveers will pass out of their training establishments in December.

Changes to the Agnipath Framework

The new framework was 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 3,00,000 Agniveers currently in service. It is expected to undergo further changes for recruits inducted after December 31.

Also Read: CAPFs debated merit, ex-Agniveer postings before Union Cabinet’s Agnipath overhaul approval

The Agnipath reboot was announced by Subramani 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.

All existing Agniveers will become permanent after this two-year extended service, subject to meeting specific eligibility criteria and individual consent. 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.

Defence Minister on the Revamped Scheme

On Thursday, defence minister Rajnath Singh said the scheme will further strengthen the three services. He said the scheme was revamped following feedback from the armed forces, reiterating the government’s commitment to incorporating the services’ suggestions into policy decisions.

Marriage Rules and Eligibility

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. The marriage restriction will remain in force only during the initial four-year service period. Only young men and women aged between 17-and-a-half and 21 are eligible for recruitment under the scheme.