Kathmandu, October 11 (Daily Kiran) : Lieutenant General Veeresh Pratap Singh Kaushik of the Indian Army began his visit to Nepal on Sunday, October 11, 2026. His trip aims to engage with former Indian soldiers and evaluate welfare programs available for them in the country.
The Indian Embassy in Nepal announced on social media that General Kaushik, who has been honored with military awards such as PVSM, UYSM, YSM, and SM, will meet with retired Indian soldiers during his stay. He will review the implementation of various welfare initiatives designed for them.
Having served as the Indian Army’s Adjutant General, Kaushik is assessing the welfare conditions of retired Indian soldiers residing in Nepal. He plans to review the pensions, benefits, and assistance programs available to these veterans.
According to the Indian Embassy’s website, over 122,000 pensioners from the Indian Army currently live in Nepal. The Indian government is committed to the well-being of these former soldiers, their families, and dependents. Various branches of the defense wing are working in coordination to meet the needs and expectations of Gorkha veterans living in Nepal.
This visit underscores India’s ongoing commitment to the welfare of retired soldiers in Nepal, particularly Gorkha veterans and their families, all of whom receive pensions and other forms of assistance from the Indian government.
The tradition of recruiting Nepali citizens into the Indian and British armies has continued since a trilateral agreement was signed on November 9, 1947, between the governments of India, Nepal, and the United Kingdom, even after India’s independence.
Recruitment of Nepali youth into the Indian Army has been on hold since 2019. Initially, this was due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was further complicated in 2022 when India implemented the Agnipath scheme, leading Nepal to suspend the recruitment process. The Nepalese government argues that the Agnipath scheme does not align with the conditions of the 1947 trilateral agreement.
Under the Agnipath scheme, only one-fourth of the recruits are retained in regular military service after completing four years. It remains unclear whether General Kaushik will discuss this issue with veterans or Nepali officials during his visit.
In August, Indian Army Chief General Dheeraj Seth visited Nepal at the official invitation of Nepalese Army Chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel. During that visit, on August 17, President Ramchandra Paudel conferred the honorary title of General of the Nepalese Army upon General Seth.
Since 1950, there has been a tradition between Nepal and India where the army chiefs of both countries bestow honorary general ranks upon each other, symbolizing the close military ties between the two nations.
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