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Indian Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth began a three-day visit to Nepal on Monday, his first overseas trip since taking charge, amid growing calls in the country for the resumption of recruitment of Nepali youths into the Indian Army under the Agnipath scheme.
General Seth, who assumed office on June 30, is visiting Nepal from August 17 to 19 to receive the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army. President Ram Chandra Paudel is scheduled to confer the rank on him at a ceremony at Sheetal Niwas on Monday.
The visit comes at a significant juncture in India-Nepal defence ties. The two countries have a longstanding military relationship, including the tradition of conferring the honorary rank of General on each other’s Army Chiefs.
Nepali Army Chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel received the honorary rank of General of the Indian Army from President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi in December 2024.
General Seth is scheduled to hold talks with General Sigdel on bilateral military cooperation and matters of mutual interest. He will also pay tribute at the Military Pavilion in Tundikhel.
On August 18, the Army Chief will address student officers of the Army Command and Staff Course at Shivapuri and interact with instructors and foreign student officers. He is also scheduled to meet senior Nepali dignitaries.
On August 19, General Seth will attend an ex-servicemen rally in Pokhara, felicitate Veer Naris and gallantry awardees and interact with Indian Army veterans before returning to India.
The stalled recruitment of Nepalese youths under the Agnipath scheme is expected to figure in discussions during the visit, according to local media reports.
Nepal has not permitted its citizens to join the Indian Army under the Agnipath system, introduced by India in 2022. The scheme provides for four years of service for personnel below officer rank. At the end of the tenure, up to 25 per cent of each batch can be retained for further service, while the remaining 75 per cent leave with a one-time financial package.
The issue has gained fresh attention in Nepal, with Gurkhas and Nepali youths holding rallies in Kaski and Lamjung districts to demand the resumption of recruitment.
Nepali youths have traditionally formed a significant component of the Indian Army’s Gurkha regiments. Recruitment, however, was suspended after the Agnipath scheme was introduced, with Kathmandu seeking greater clarity over the new system and its implications for Nepali recruits.
General Seth’s visit is also significant as it is the first high-level Indian visit to Nepal since Balendra Shah became Prime Minister on March 27. It remains unclear whether Seth will meet Shah, who also oversees the defence portfolio.
The visit seeks to reinforce the deep military and people-to-people ties between the two countries. India and Nepal share extensive historical, cultural and social linkages, often described as the “Roti-Beti” ties.
For New Delhi, the visit provides an opportunity to sustain the traditional military partnership while addressing the recruitment issue that has emerged as a new irritant in bilateral defence ties.
Ravi Shankar
Dr Ravi Shankar has over two decades of experience in communications, print journalism, electronic media, documentary film making and new media.
He makes regular appearances on national television news channels as a commentator and analyst on current and political affairs. Apart from being an acknowledged Journalist, he has been a passionate newsroom manager bringing a wide range of journalistic experience from past associations with India’s leading media conglomerates (Times of India group and India Today group) and had led global news-gathering operations at world’s biggest multimedia news agency- ANI-Reuters. He has covered Parliament extensively over the past several years. Widely traveled, he has covered several summits as part of media delegation accompanying the Indian President, Vice President, Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister and Finance Minister across Asia, Africa and Europe.
