Kathmandu, Oct 11 (SocialNews.XYZ) Lieutenant General Viresh Pratap Singh Kaushik of the Indian Army began his visit to Nepal on Sunday as he aims to interact with Indian Army ex-servicemen and review welfare schemes provided to veterans in the country, the Indian Embassy in Nepal said.
Kaushik, who holds the military honours PVSM, UYSM, YSM and SM, is scheduled to meet former Indian Army personnel during his visit and assess the implementation of various welfare initiatives aimed at supporting them in Nepal, the embassy said in a social media post.
Kaushik, who is also the Adjutant General of the Indian Army, is visiting Nepal to review the welfare of retired Indian Army personnel living in the country, including the benefits and support schemes available to them.
More than 122,000 Indian Army pensioners currently reside in Nepal, according to the Indian Embassy's website. The Indian government has made efforts to ensure the welfare of these pensioners, their families and dependents, with various branches of the Defence Wing working in coordination to address the needs and aspirations of Nepal-domiciled Gorkha ex-servicemen, according to the embassy.
The visit highlights India's continued focus on the welfare of its retired military personnel living in Nepal, particularly Gorkha veterans and their families who receive pensions and other support from the Indian government.
Under a tripartite agreement signed by representatives of the governments of India, Nepal and the United Kingdom on November 9, 1947, the tradition of recruiting Nepali nationals into the Indian and British armies continued after India gained independence.
However, the recruitment of Nepali youths into the Indian Army has remained suspended since 2019, initially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nepal subsequently suspended the recruitment process after India introduced the Agnipath scheme in 2022.
The Nepali government has argued that the scheme is inconsistent with the provisions of the 1947 Tripartite Agreement between India, Nepal and the United Kingdom.
Under the Agnipath scheme, only one-fourth of recruits, known as Agniveers, are retained in regular military service after completing their four-year tenure. It is not immediately clear whether Kaushik would discuss the issue with former Indian Army personnel in Nepal or Nepali officials during his visit.
In August, Indian Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth visited Nepal at the official invitation of Nepali Army Chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel. During the visit, President Ram Chandra Paudel conferred on Seth the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army on August 17.
Nepal and India have maintained a longstanding tradition, dating back to 1950, of conferring the honorary rank of General on each other's army chiefs. The tradition is regarded as a symbol of the close military ties between the two countries.
Source: IANS
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