Indian Army faces acute manpower shortage, set to lift Agniveer recruitment to 1 lakh a year

Troops recruited before 2020 will keep retiring at a rate of roughly 60,000 annually, while a portion of Agniveers will also begin leaving after completing their four-year tenure starting 2026-end

A significant manpower gap in the Indian Army has prompted plans to sharply expand the annual Agniveer intake to more than 1 lakh, well above the current 45,000-50,000 recruits, The Indian Express reported on Wednesday.

The move is aimed at addressing an overall shortfall of nearly 1.8 lakh soldiers that has accumulated over recent years.

The Indian Express notes that the deficit built up largely during the Covid-19 years of 2020 and 2021, when recruitment was paused while 60,000-65,000 soldiers continued to retire annually. This was before the rollout of the Agnipath scheme in mid-2022, which introduced four-year contractual enrolment for soldiers.

When the scheme was unveiled on June 14, 2022, around 46,000 vacancies were earmarked across the three services, including 40,000 for the Army, The Indian Express reports. At the time, the plan was to steadily ramp up the Army's intake over four years, with an upper limit of 1.75 lakh Agniveers. The Navy and Air Force were also expected to progressively increase their recruitment to roughly 28,700.

Despite the limited Agniveer inductions beginning 2022, retirements continued at the same pace, adding 20,000-25,000 to the annual shortfall, The Indian Express highlights.

The Indian Army is now preparing to widen the intake significantly from this year, with sources telling the publication that yearly vacancies could rise to about 1 lakh to offset both ongoing retirements and the first cycle of Agniveer exits expected from December 2026 onward.

The expansion will take into account the training capacity of regimental centres to ensure standards are not diluted, The Indian Express reports. The Army has stated that 1.75 lakh Agniveers will be recruited by the end of 2025 and that future vacancies will be released to address existing gaps in the ranks.

As per details shared with The Indian Express, troops recruited before 2020 will keep retiring at a rate of roughly 60,000 annually, while a portion of Agniveers will also begin leaving after completing their four-year tenure starting 2026-end. The planned increase in vacancies over the next three to five years is expected to offset these exits and gradually reduce the current shortfall.