NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India will recruit soldiers for four-year service periods, after which a quarter will be brought into regular service, as it looks to deploy younger and fitter troops, the defence minister and military officials said on Tuesday.

       The recruitment process for personnel below officer rank between the ages of 17 and a half to 21 years will begin in the next three months, an official said.

       (Reporting by Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by Andrew Heavens)