Army Chief’s Nepal visit over, but no clarity on fresh recruitment of Gorkha soldiers
Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi on Sunday concluded his five-day official visit to Nepal to strengthen bilateral ties. However, there is no clarity on the way ahead for the fresh recruitment of soldiers from Nepal into the Indian Armed Forces that has been on hold for the past four years.
“The visit, which exceeded all stated objectives, further solidified the robust defence cooperation, cultural ties and mutual respect between the two nations. It underscored the shared commitment of the Indian and Nepali Armies to fostering peace, security and partnership in the region,” an official statement issued on Sunday read.
During his tour, described as “resoundingly successful”, Gen Dwivedi held discussions with President of Nepal Ramchandra Paudel, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Defence Minister Manbir Rai and his Nepali counterpart, General Ashok Raj Sigdel, but there is no reference to the resumption of recruitment of Gorkha soldiers from Nepal in official statements or media reports.
Reports from Nepal also said Prime Minister Oli emphasised the need to further strengthen bilateral cooperation and expand ties. The Indian Army Chief’s visit came in the backdrop of strains in bilateral relations and growing Chinese interest in Nepal. This visit was preceded by the Director-General of Shashtra Seema Bal that guards the Indo-Nepal border holding talks with his counterpart in Nepal.
The recruitment of soldiers from Nepal has been suspended since 2020 following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and thereafter the introduction of the Agniveer scheme in 2021 that entails a four-year term for new recruits into the rank and file of the three services. Only 25 per cent would be absorbed into permanent service.
Nepal did not agree to the terms of the Agniveer scheme for its citizens, saying that it violated the terms of the tripartite India-Nepal-Britain Agreement in 1947. It also voiced concern over the re-employability of Gorkha soldiers after their four-year term expires.
General Dwivedi’s engagements included a briefing by Nepali army’s Director-General of military operations, addressing officers at the Nepali Army Command and Staff Course and participating in an ex-servicemen’s rally. In accordance with long standing traditions, General Dwivedi was conferred the rank of Honorary General of the Nepali army. A reciprocal title is conferred by India on Nepali army chiefs.
Presumably, recruitment from Nepal would have cropped up, both during official discussions with the leaders, but contrary to expectation in some quarters, there has been total silence on this subject. Gorkha soldiers from Nepal serving in the Indian Army have been an important facet of relations between the two countries and also have a socio-economic bearing on Nepal’s society.
About 32,000 soldiers belonging to Nepal serve in the Indian Army. Sources said close to 15,000 Gorkha troops had retired since 2020 and these vacancies had not been filled up from Nepal, leaving gaps in the posted strength of operational battalions. Earlier, the annual intake from Nepal varied between 1,500 to 1,800 recruits. This would also be the average discharge from service in the coming years.
At the time of Independence, 90 per cent of the troops in Gorkha battalions were Nepal-domiciled with the remaining being Indian-domiciled. This ratio at present is now 60:40. Sources said among the suggestions doing the rounds in military circles to deal with the situation was to gradually reduce the number of Gorkha Battalions and increase the intake to India-domicile Gorkhas.
The Indian Army’s Gorkha Brigade comprises a total of 39 Gorkha Rifles (GR) battalions that form seven infantry regiments – 1 GR, 3 GR, 4 GR, 5 GR 8 GR, 9 GR and 11 GR. Their history goes back to April 1815, when 1 GR was raised by the erstwhile East India Company as part of the Bengal Army. 11 GR is the only regiment to have been raised post-Independence, which accommodated Gorkha troops from battalions allocated to Britain, but opted not to go.
The India-Nepal relations are steeped in history over shared economic, social and cultural affinity and military-to-military cooperation is an important element of this bond. The Nepal-India Bilateral Consultative Group on Security Issues (NIBCGSI) that meets regularly is the forum for this exchange.
India has been assisting Nepal to modernise its army by providing equipment and training as well as undertaking joint military exercises. Dhruv and Cheetah helicopters, INSAS rifles and mine protected vehicles are among hardware supplied by India. Many Nepal army personnel also attend training courses at various Indian training institutions.
The historically strong Indo-Nepal ties are now under the shadow of growing Chinese political and diplomatic forays into the Himalayan nation. Besides a dispute between India and Nepal over a small stretch of the International Border at the trijunction of India-Nepal-China in Uttarakhand, there have been reports of two Chinese military delegations, headed by officers of the rank of Major General, visiting Nepal since 2023 as well as China supplying weapons and vehicles to the Nepali army. China is also roping in Nepal for its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that aims to connect China with Africa and Europe through land and maritime routes.
