In a major tweak to the Agnipath scheme for recruitment to the Indian Armed Forces, the government on Wednesday announced a two-year extension of service for all Agniveers whose four-year contractual term is ending in December.Chief of Defence Staff Gen NS Raja Subramani announced the decision following a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Taking a significant decision today, the Union Cabinet chaired by PM Shri @narendramodi has approved a two-year ‘Second Tour of Duty’ for Agniveers under #Agnipath.I sincerely thank PM Modi for taking the decision of additional 2-year ‘Second Tour of Duty’ for Agniveers under the Agnipath scheme. This would also provide enrollment of all willing Agniveers as regular soldiers after the tenure of 4/6 years, who meet the selection criteria.This decision is continuation of long-term structural reforms of our defence forces, aimed at creating a younger, fitter, technologically equipped and future-ready military. It is not merely a recruitment policy; it is a way forward to prepare India’s military for the changing character of warfare.— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) November 4, 2026Under the existing policy, 25 per cent of Agniveers recruited four years ago are eligible for absorption into the regular armed forces. The changes announced on Wednesday would apply to the remaining 75 per cent who were due to exit the forces in December.These Agniveers will now be offered a second term of two years. At the end of this period, they will have the option of becoming regular soldiers, subject to their willingness, physical fitness, performance and prevailing guidelines, Gen Subramani said.The existing Agnipath scheme provides for recruitment on a four-year contractual term. The extension comes as more than 18,300 Agniveers are set to be discharged by December 31 after completing their four-year tenure.The CDS said the Cabinet’s decision had created a pathway for Agniveers to be absorbed into the armed forces on a permanent basis.He said the performance of Agniveers during the past four years had been very good.