SOURCE: AFI

Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi has taken a significant step towards rekindling the traditional recruitment of Gorkha soldiers from Nepal into the Indian Army. In a recent appeal, General Dwivedi personally requested his Nepali counterpart to reconsider the recruitment process which has been on hold since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and further complicated by the introduction of India’s Agnipath military recruitment scheme.
“I have personally requested the Nepal Army chief to revive the recruitment of the ethnic Gorkha community in the Indian Army. I am very hopeful that it will resume sooner than later,” General Upendra Dwivedi told The Telegraph. This statement reflects the urgency and importance India places on the recruitment of Gorkhas, known for their valor and loyalty, which have been integral to the Indian Army since the 1947 tripartite agreement involving India, Nepal, and the UK.
The recruitment of Gorkhas was initially paused in 2020 due to the global health crisis. However, the situation persisted beyond the health emergency due to Nepal’s objection to the Agnipath scheme introduced in 2022. Under this scheme, new recruits, termed ‘Agniveers’, are enlisted for a short-term service of four years without the traditional benefits like pensions or gratuity. At the end of this period, only 25% of these soldiers are retained based on merit and organizational needs, while the rest are demobilized without long-term military employment or retirement benefits.
This recruitment halt has not only created a shortage in the Indian Army’s Gorkha regiments but also strained the historical military relationship between India and Nepal. For over four years, the prestigious Gorkha battalions have been operating without the infusion of fresh Nepali recruits, leading to a significant gap in manpower and tradition.
General Dwivedi’s appeal comes at a time when there’s a noticeable void in this long-standing tradition of cross-border military service. The Gorkhas have been a cornerstone of the Indian Army, contributing significantly to India’s military engagements, both in peacekeeping and combat scenarios. The absence of new Gorkha recruits has thus been felt not only in terms of numbers but also in the cultural and historical fabric of the Indian military.