Agnipath Scheme (Government Schemes & Initiatives)
Agnipath Scheme (Government Schemes & Initiatives)
Why In News:
The armed forces have decided to share a list of retiring Agniveers with the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) to facilitate their lateral induction into paramilitary roles, reinforcing the post service employment pipeline built into the Agnipath scheme.
Source: The Hindu, Page 1, 17 August 2026 - 'Armed forces to provide CAPFs with list of retiring Agniveers eligible for recruitment'
What is the Agnipath Scheme?
Launched in June 2022 for recruitment of soldiers below officer rank into the Army, Navy and Air Force. Recruits under are called Agniveers and serve for a 4 year tenure.
The eligible candidates must be between 17.5 and 21 years old except for the batch 2022 i.e., 17.5 to 23 years.
The objective is to build a younger, fitter profile of the armed forces and reduce the long term pension burden of the government.
Under the Agnipath Scheme, an Agniveer contributes 30% of the monthly package to the Agniveer Corpus Fund, with the Government making an equal matching contribution.
After completing four years, the accumulated corpus, along with applicable interest, is paid as a one-time, tax-exempt Seva Nidhi package.
On completion of four years, up to 25 percent of Agniveers are retained for a full career under the permanent cadre while the rest exit as trained veterans.
Post Service Reservation and Rehabilitation
The Ministry of Home Affairs has reserved 50 percent of vacancies in CAPFs such as CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP and SSB, and in Assam Rifles,[1] [2] for ex-Agniveers.
Several state governments and union territories-including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, and Delhi- have announced horizontal reservations ranging from 10% to 20% for former Agniveers in state police, jail guard, forest guard, and fire service recruitments.
Skill certification equivalence with ITI and diploma qualifications is being developed to help Agniveers in civilian employment.
Key Facts for Prelims
The Seva Nidhi corpus is tax free and includes a matching government contribution alongside the Agniveer's own contribution.
Agniveers are not entitled to the pension or gratuity applicable to regular defence personnel.
CAPFs function under the Ministry of Home Affairs, while the Army, Navy and Air Force function under the Ministry of Defence.
Please add source of this information mam. Certain other websites also says reservations in Railways https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?PRID=2287043®=6&lang=1The Government has created a new category of Ex-Agniveer in the recruitment of the post of Constable (General Duty)/ Rifleman in Central Armed Police Forces and Assam Rifles (CAPFs & AR) respectively with the following provisions for them:(i) Reservation of 50% of vacancies.