Agnipath budget up 32% as recruitment scheme expands

NEW DELHI: The government has allocated ₹11,039 crore for the Agnipath scheme for short-term induction of soldiers in the three services in the defence budget 2025-26, an increase of more than 32% over the revised estimates last year to cater for the growing numbers, documents show.

The figure stood at ₹7,471 crore in 2024-25.

The outlay for the Agnipath scheme comes under the revenue head. The army’s share in this year’s budget for the scheme is ₹9,414 crore, the Indian Force’s ₹853 crore and the navy’s ₹772 crore, compared to last year’s allocation of ₹6,274 crore, ₹618 crore and ₹579 crore, respectively, the budget documents show.

Agnipath was a major departure from the military’s decades-old recruitment system that was scrapped when the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government announced the new scheme in June 2022. Only young men and women aged between 17 and a half and 21 are eligible under the scheme that seeks to recruit soldiers for only four years, with a provision to retain 25% of them in regular service for another 15 years.

The budget of the three services for the scheme was ₹3,082 crore in 2023-24.

India on Saturday set aside more than ₹6.81 lakh crore for defence spending in the Union Budget, including ₹1.8 lakh crore for the modernisation of the military at a time when its shopping list encompasses fighter jets, helicopters, warships, submarines, tanks, artillery guns, drones, and rockets and missiles.

The allocation is 9.5% higher than what it was in the budget estimates ( ₹6.23 lakh crore) for the financial year 2024-25, and around 6% more than last year’s revised estimates ( ₹6.41 lakh crore). It includes a revenue expenditure of ₹3.11 lakh crore and a pension outlay of ₹1.6 lakh crore, and accounts for 1.9% of the country’s projected gross domestic product (GDP) for 2025-26, and 13.45% of the government’s budget.

Revised estimates in the budget documents show that the armed forces were unable to spend ₹12,500 crore of last year’s capital outlay of ₹1.72 lakh crore.

The Agnipath recruitment model, which was a political hot button ahead of the 2024 general elections, was introduced to keep the armed forces young and battle-ready.

Those recruited under the scheme are called Agniveers.

In July 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi brushed aside criticism of the Agnipath scheme, saying it will boost combat effectiveness and increase the strength of the country.

Soldiers recruited under the legacy system serve for about 20 years before they retire in their late 30s with pension and other benefits including healthcare and canteen facilities, which Agniveers released from service after four years are not entitled to.