New Delhi, 27 June (Hindustan Times). Like the Indian Army, now China and Russia have also started attracting Nepalese to join their military operations by forming ‘Gorkha Regiment’. Russia is providing citizenship to all Nepali citizens who are willing to serve 1 year in the army with a salary of US$ 2000 per month. Along with this, China has also given a contract to the NGO China Study Center for Rs 12 lakh to form ‘Gorkha Regiment’ and conducted a survey for the recruitment campaign in Nepal.
There are 7 Gorkha regiments in the Indian Army, where usually 60 per cent seats are reserved for Nepalis. 1300 Nepalese youth were to be recruited in the Indian Army, so India had invited friendly country Nepal to recruit soldiers under the ‘Agneepath’ scheme, so that the number of Gurkhas in the army could be increased. Indeed, the annual recruitment of Nepalese Gurkhas into the Indian Army has gradually decreased to around 1,500, from 4,000 per year earlier. The tension between India and Nepal increased regarding the new military recruitment process ‘Agneepath’ scheme. Nepal stopped recruitment under the Agneepath scheme, for which the rallies were to begin.
There are currently seven Gorkha Rifles regiments in the Indian Army, in which about 30,000 Nepali citizens are serving. Each regiment has five to six battalions. There are also over 1.3 lakh ex-servicemen in Nepal, who receive their pension from the Indian Army. The soldiers of the Gurkha Regiment are stationed in most of the hilly areas in India too, because it is said about them that no one else can fight better in the mountains than them. Nepali boys are transformed into physically fit, mentally strong and professionally competent soldiers for the Indian Army after rigorous recruitment training at the Gorkha Training Center in Shillong.
Nepalese Gurkhas are now turning to the Russian Army after a tussle with India over the ‘Agneepath’ scheme. In a recent change in citizenship rules, Russia is providing citizenship to all Nepalese citizens who are willing to serve 1 year in the army with a salary of US$ 2000 per month. Due to this very attractive offer from Russia, hundreds of Nepalese youth have traveled to Russia. Nepali Gurkhas are getting attracted towards Wagner Group, a private military company based in Russia. This development has also raised concerns in Nepal, as the Gurkhas have started taking this step without any official support from the government.
Similarly, China also has a problem as to why Nepali citizens are in the Indian Army’s Gorkha Regiment? To find out the reasons for this, China has given a contract to NGO China Study Center for Rs 12 lakh and got a survey done in Nepal. After this, China itself has started dreaming of forming a ‘Gorkha Regiment’ by running a recruitment campaign in Nepal. Gorkha jawans have given a befitting reply to the enemies in the 1962 war with China, then in the 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan. Before the tussle with China started in 2020, 1642 soldiers of India’s Gorkha Regiment went to their respective homes on holidays. After the opening of the front from China, the Nepali soldiers returned from leave realizing their responsibility and duty towards India. This is also one of the reasons why Gorkha soldiers of India have started knocking on China.
