Agnipath amendment: service tenure extended by two years, talk of Gorkha recruitment reopening

The Indian government has extended by two years the service tenure of soldiers recruited under the Agnipath scheme. The decision was made at a meeting of the Union Council of Ministers chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on social media platform X that the service tenure has been extended from four years to six years. Previously, under the scheme, 75 percent of those recruited had their service end within four years; now those Agniveers will get to serve in the Indian Army for at least six years.

After India implemented Agnipath in 2022, Nepal had stopped Gorkha recruitment into the Indian Army. The decision comes as Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is in Kathmandu on a two-day visit, with preparations also underway for Prime Minister Balendra Shah's visit to India, said to take place in Mangsir.

Suhasini Haidar, diplomatic affairs editor at The Hindu, said the decision came at an important time for Nepal-India relations. She also raised the question of whether the halted recruitment could resume.

Alongside this decision, discussion has begun on the possibility of Gorkha recruitment reopening.