First batch of 19,000 Agniveers to complete four-year term on December 31

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More than 19,000 Agniveers who joined the Army on January 1, 2023 will complete four years of service on December 31, when their first government job will also come to an end. The Ministry of Defence says a separate retirement scheme has been created for Agniveers, but with the deadline approaching, many are worried about their future.

The biggest question is whether these young men will get an appointment letter for a permanent job on January 1 after four years of service to the country, or whether they will have to go through a difficult job search all over again. There is no answer to this question yet. Under the rules of the Agnipath scheme, only 25 percent of Agniveers will get a place in the Army's regular cadre. An internal examination will be held for this before their tenure ends. This means that out of every 100 Agniveers, 75 will have to retire from the Army in any case. Of the first batch of 19,000, more than 14,000 will have to retire.

The government says that 75 percent of retiring Agniveers will be given jobs in paramilitary forces such as the BSF, CRPF, CISF and the Railways. For this, the Ministry of Home Affairs has given 10 percent reservation and relaxation in the physical test. But the reality is that recruitment processes for vacant posts in government departments take several months or even years. This raises a big question mark over whether Agniveers can expect a joining letter for a second job immediately after retiring on December 31.

After four years of service, Agniveers will be released from their jobs with a Seva Nidhi package of around Rs 11 lakh. But unlike regular soldiers, they will not get the lifelong pension given to ex-servicemen, ECHS medical facilities or canteen facilities.

While ordinary young people begin their careers at the age of 21-22, these young men, who were until now in a government job, will lose their first job on December 31 and face a new, uncertain future.

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