Agniveer Salary: Year Wise Pay, Seva Nidhi and Exam

Agniveer salary starts at a package of ₹30,000 a month in the first year, of which about ₹21,000 comes in hand and the rest goes into a savings fund. Agniveers are young soldiers, sailors and airmen recruited for four years under the Agnipath scheme of the Ministry of Defence, and the package rises every year to ₹40,000 in the fourth year. At the end you get a lump sum of about ₹10.04 lakh plus interest. Many parents ask me whether this bharti is worth it, so this page explains the money, the exam and what happens after four years, in plain words.

What is Agniveer and the Agnipath scheme

Agnipath is the scheme through which the Army, Navy and Air Force now recruit soldiers, sailors and airmen below officer rank. The people selected are called Agniveers: Agniveer in the Army, Agniveer in the Navy and Agniveervayu in the Air Force. Key points:

• Service is for four years, including training.
• Pay is a fixed yearly package, not a pay matrix level.
• After four years, up to 25 percent of each batch can be taken into the regular cadre, based on performance and merit. It is not automatic.
• The rest leave with a Seva Nidhi lump sum and a skill certificate.

Agniveer is an entry for class 10 and class 12 pass youth. If you are a graduate and want to be an officer, look at CDS or AFCAT. If you are in class 12 and want a permanent officer career, see NDA.

Agniveer salary per month: year wise salary list

This is the Agniveer salary list from the official Agniveervayu notifications. Every month, 30 percent of the package is cut and put into the Agniveer Corpus Fund. The government puts in the same amount from its side.

So the Agniveer salary per month in hand is about ₹21,000 at the start and about ₹28,000 in the last year. The package includes allowances for risk and hardship, dress and travel. Food, clothing, a place to stay and medical care are given separately, which is why most Agniveers save a good part of the in-hand amount. They also get 30 days of annual leave each year, plus sick leave on medical advice.

Unlike most central jobs, there is no DA on this package and no HRA. That is why this page has no salary box. The package itself is the Agniveer scheme salary, which people also call the Agnipath scheme salary.

Agniveer salary after 4 years: Seva Nidhi lump sum

People often search "what is the salary of Agniveer after 4 years". The honest answer: there is no monthly salary after four years unless you are selected into the regular cadre. What you get is the Seva Nidhi package.

• Your own contribution over four years: about ₹5.02 lakh.
• Government contribution: about ₹5.02 lakh.
• Total Seva Nidhi: about ₹10.04 lakh, plus interest earned on it.

So the Agniveer salary after 4 years per month is zero for those who leave, but they walk out with a lump sum of over ₹10 lakh at around 21 to 25 years of age. Used well, that money can pay for a degree, a skill course or a small business. For those taken into the regular cadre (up to 25 percent), salary continues on the regular pay scale of a soldier, sailor or airman of that rank, with DA and other allowances.

Is there an Agniveer retirement salary or pension

No. The official notification says clearly that Agniveers are not entitled to pension or gratuity, and there is no Provident Fund. There is no Agniveer retirement salary or Agniveer salary after retirement. Ex-servicemen status is also not given after release. What you do get is:

• Seva Nidhi of about ₹10.04 lakh plus interest.
• Non contributory life insurance cover of ₹48 lakh during service.
• A detailed skill certificate listing what you learnt.

Those who become regular soldiers later earn pension as per the rules for regular service. Families should understand this before deciding, so there is no disappointment later.

Army Agniveer salary, para commando and tradesman salary

The Army Agniveer salary, often searched as Agniveer army salary, is the same package as the table above. The Agnipath package does not change by service or by trade. So:

• Agniveer Indian Army salary (General Duty, Technical, Clerk or Store Keeper, Tradesman): same year wise package.
• Agniveer tradesman salary: same package, even though the qualification for some tradesman roles is lower.
• Agniveer para commando salary per month: Agniveers who volunteer and qualify for special forces units train much harder. Special forces allowances are given to regular troops as per rules; check the latest Army notification for what applies to Agniveers.
• Navy and Air Force Agniveers: same package.

Compare this with other entries on our Indian Army jobs, Indian Navy jobs and Indian Air Force jobs pages.

Agniveer eligibility and age limit

Exact marks rules for each Army and Navy category are in their own notifications, so read them before applying. Check your age with the tool below.

For other jobs open to class 10 and 12 pass students, see govt jobs after 10th and govt jobs after 12th.

Agniveer exam pattern and syllabus

All three services start with an online written test, then physical and medical tests. The Agniveervayu exam pattern from the official notice is a good example:

Marking in that exam is +1 for a right answer, minus 0.25 for a wrong one, and zero for a blank. You must pass each paper separately. The Agniveer exam syllabus follows class 12 level for Physics and Maths, and class 10 level general knowledge, reasoning and English.

The Army runs its own online Common Entrance Exam for Agniveer categories. Its pattern and syllabus are category wise (General Duty, Technical, Clerk, Tradesman) and are given on the Army recruitment website. In my experience, a student with sound class 10 maths, basic science and daily GK reading can clear the written stage with three to four months of practice.

Physical test, selection and training

After the written test, candidates face a physical fitness test, document check and medical exam. In the Air Force, men run 1.6 km in 7 minutes and women in 8 minutes, followed by push-ups, sit-ups and squats for men and sit-ups and squats for women. The Army rally has its own run and strength standards. Many candidates fail the run, so start running daily from the day you decide to apply.

Training is part of the four years. After that you are posted to units, ships or air bases. Early exit on your own request is not allowed except in rare cases.

Is Agniveer worth it: options after four years

Agniveer gives discipline, fitness, a skill certificate and over ₹10 lakh in savings at a young age. The risk is clear: 75 percent or more of a batch will need a new job after four years. My advice to students: do the four years with full effort to try for the regular cadre, and in parallel complete a degree or skill course. Ex-Agniveers can later apply to police and paramilitary bharti such as BSF, CISF and state police constable posts; check each notification for any special provision.

Official websites and how to apply

Apply only on the official sites: joinindianarmy.nic.in for the Army, joinindiannavy.gov.in for the Navy and the Agnipath Vayu portal for the Air Force. Fees, dates, rally schedules and results change every cycle, so check the official website. The Air Force has stated that no money is needed at any stage; anyone asking for a bribe for selection is a fraud.