Overview

• Army discussions have floated informal retention rates of 70–75% for infantry, 80% for specially trained personnel, and 100% for special forces.
• Service chiefs cite the “excellent” performance of Agniveers in May’s Operation Sindoor as the primary rationale for reconsidering absorption limits.
• Officials warn that the existing 25% cap leads to costly repeated training cycles as four-year recruits rotate out before mastering advanced systems.
• The Indian Air Force and Navy have signalled openness to raising their Agniveer retention quotas under the revised scheme.
• Any formal policy change, including harmonised benefits and a higher recruitment age limit, hinges on approval at the next Army Commanders Conference and government sign-off, likely by end-2026.