Nepal prime minister Balen Shah. (File photo)
This profession is hundreds of times better than going to the Gulf, working in temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius and receiving minimum wages. If they were allowed to join Indian Army as Agniveers, they could have earned around Nepalese Rs 45-50 lakh, including benefits, in four years,” Thapa said.
Gen Seth met Shah in Kathmandu on Tuesday, but the official statement stayed with familiar phrases on “defence cooperation and military ties”. He added: “After India introduced the Agnipath scheme, Nepal govt, citing various reasons, deprived Nepalese youths of the opportunity to join Indian Army,” Khatri said. In its memorandum, the organisation said, “We once again request govt to immediately restart the process of recruiting Nepalese youths into Indian Army under the Agnipath policy. Retired Captain Rudra Thapa said the freeze had pushed many young men from Gorkha families towards low-paid, physically demanding jobs in the Gulf and other countries when they could have earned a far higher and more stable income through military service. During a visit to New Delhi in June, Nepalese foreign minister Shisir Khanal said the issue had not figured in his formal discussions but indicated willingness to engage. In the most recent conversations, we have not gone into those dialogues and discussions,” Khanal said. Asked whether Nepal would reopen talks, he added, “If India wants, we can discuss. ”
Days before Gen Seth’s arrival, hundreds of former Indian Army personnel, their families and Gorkha aspirants marched in Pokhara, urging Nepal prime minister Balen Shah to permit recruitment under Agnipath. The rally was organised by Indian Ex-Servicemen Gorkha Brigade Nepal, which submitted a memorandum to Shah and home minister Sudan Gurung. The recruitment deadlock has remained an unresolved backdrop to Gen Seth’s visit, though official accounts of his talks with Nepal Army chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel have made no mention of the issue. Agnipath found no public mention. “Our youths are going abroad for menial jobs, working in harsh conditions and earning very little. “If govt does not permit recruitment into foreign armies, it must be able to provide employment at home. There has been some softening in Kathmandu’s tone under the Shah govt. “The recruitment used to be done through a tripartite agreement.
Gen Seth was conferred the honorary rank of General of the Nepal Army by President Ramchandra Paudel on Monday, continuing a decades-old reciprocal military tradition between the two countries.