The Indian Navy is set to witness a major milestone as more than 3,300 trainees from the ninth batch of Naval Agniveers and Coast Guard Naviks pass out on Friday at INS Chilka in Odisha, making it the largest batch to complete training under the Agnipath scheme to date.

The passing-out parade will take place after 16 weeks of basic training and will be reviewed by Navy Chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan. The ceremony comes just eight days before the first batch of Agniveers completes its four-year engagement period.

This batch is also expected to be the last, at least for the moment, to benefit from the recently approved changes to the Agnipath scheme. Under the revised framework cleared by the Cabinet, the 75 per cent of Agniveers who would previously have exited service after four years will now receive a two-year extension.

During this additional period, they will receive higher pay and an enhanced Seva Nidhi package. At the end of the extension, they will become eligible for induction into the regular armed forces cadre, provided they are willing to continue, meet fitness standards and maintain a clean disciplinary record.

According to officials, the revised provisions currently apply only to personnel who have already been inducted or are presently undergoing training. Discussions on whether future batches will receive the same benefits are still under way.

As matters stand, the Navy's next intake, scheduled to begin training early next year, remains governed by the original four-year terms of the Agnipath scheme.

The Navy currently has around 21,000 Agniveers in service and is understood to have strongly supported greater retention levels. Naval personnel undergo extensive specialist training after leaving INS Chilka, learning to operate sophisticated weapons, sensors and machinery aboard frontline warships.

Senior officials have long argued that releasing most Agniveers after four years resulted in the loss of valuable technical expertise just as sailors were reaching operational maturity. The revised model is therefore expected to help retain skilled manpower and improve long-term workforce stability.

Introduced in 2022, the Agnipath scheme was designed to lower the average age profile of the armed forces while reducing the growing pension burden. However, it has attracted persistent criticism over employment prospects for recruits after military service.

The latest changes have reignited political debate. The Congress has described the move as a "U-turn" and accused the government of making adjustments with forthcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab in mind, both states being significant contributors to armed forces recruitment.

The revision also comes amid wider concerns about youth employment, especially following Gen Z-led protests over unemployment and examination paper leaks. These concerns have fuelled questions about the future prospects of young Agniveers returning to civilian life in their early twenties after completing military service.

Despite the changes, military leadership has emphasised that the fundamentals of the policy remain unchanged. As Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani stated, "The Agnipath scheme in its current form, that is, the first four years, will continue."

He further noted that the scheme was "not set in stone" and that periodic reviews had been built into the system, allowing it to be modified whenever required.

The overhaul represents the most significant adjustment to the Agnipath model since its launch, signalling a greater emphasis on retaining trained personnel while preserving the scheme's original objective of maintaining a younger and more cost-effective military force.

Agecies