Agnipath budget increased by 32%

Agnipath was a major departure from the military's decades-old recruitment system that was scrapped when the NDA announced the new scheme

- Rahul Singh

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.