The document discusses the history and current state of Gurkhas serving in the British and Indian armies. Some key points: 1) Gurkhas have a long tradition of serving in the British army dating back to 1816. Over 60,000 fought in World War I and over 100,000 in World War II. 2) The 1947 Tripartite Agreement aimed to ensure equal conditions of service for Gurkhas serving in the British and Indian armies. However, questions remain if this achieved full equality. 3) Today there are 3,800 Gurkhas in the British army and over 30,000 in the Indian army. Recruitment continues from Nepal, with over 28,000 applying annually

1. NILIMA RAUT

2.  Fighting skills of Gurkhas and their Khukuri
 Sugauli Sandhi 1816(Peace Treaty) and recruitment
of Nepalese fighter in British East India Army
 Gurkhas(so-called “martial race”, i.e. Gurung,
Magar, Rai, Limbu, Tamang, Saundra etc), not the
ethnicity but named after the place Gorkha
 Political power games and Clan
 „Push factors; politics, economy, skills, history‟

3.  First World War- more than 65,000 men for first world war,
 124,000 youths were recruited in the Second World War
 10 Lakh Rupees per annum from British Government as a gift for
the recruitment of Gurkhas
According to British Army-nearly 20,000 in WW- I and 23,000 in
WW- II and total 43,000 were killed in the various location of the
earth. Still the official figure has not been published. However
Gurkhas presume that more than 60,000 were killed in the wars.
Did they really get the fair positions?
(ref: A Tradition of Bartering or selling Nepalese Youth, Prof. Dr. Yubraj Sangraula)

4.  The Tri-partite Agreement between the United
Kingdom, India and Nepal was a treaty signed in 1947
concerning the rights of Gurkhas in military service.
As a part of this arrangement, it was agreed that
Gurkhas in British and Indian service should enjoy
broadly the same conditions of service, to ensure that
there was no unfair advantage to serving in one or
other, thus maintaining economic stability and social
harmony in the Gurkha recruiting areas. Thus, the
governments of the United Kingdom, India and Nepal
came to sign the Tripartite Agreement (TPA). ( As
mentioned in Wikipedia)
Did it bring the equality?

5.  In the past 50 years they have served in Hong
Kong, Malaysia, Borneo, Cyprus, the Falklands,
Kosovo and in Iraq and Afghanistan.
 Today there are still 3,800 Gurkhas serving in
British forces around the world, while more
than 30,000 serve in the Indian Army
 The soldiers are still selected from young men
living in the hills of Nepal - with about 28,000
youths tackling the selection procedure for just
over 200 places each year.
 (ref: BBC)
British Army Gurkhas take
positions during a patrol in an
area known as Hamburger Hill in
Helmand province,
Afghanistan Photo: PA (the
Telegraph)

6.  Joanna Lumley supported „Gurkha Rights‟ Campaign 2011
 Britain‟s new policy of allowing Gurkha pensioner and their family
to settle in UK -2011
 At present, a Gurkha pension is worth around £2,150 ($3,404USD)
per year but increased living costs mean that approximately £5,000
($7,917 USD) per year is required to live comfortably in Nepal.
 100,000 possible migrants
 The British army reducing the number of Gurkhas by 2015
(www.towardfreedom.com -2010, www.dailymail.com)
Brain drain or brain circulation?

7.  Living standard of Migrated Gurkhas
family in UK is poor ( migrant‟s
settlement)
 Nepal's parliamentarians now want to end
the relationship and use their talents at
No money: 67 year-old
home Nepalese farmer and
ex-British army Gurkha
Padam Lal Bishwakarma, chairman of Nepal's Uman Singh Gurung in
his mouldy Aldershot
Parliamentary International Relations and Human bedsit,
Rights Committee, told the Daily Telegraph he (Dailymail.co.uk)
wanted the recruitment to end but not until the
country could offer the men alternative jobs which
matched its pay.
No Strong return policy
Why Nepal Government want to end
recruitment of Gukhas in British Army?
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6Dg6
6aUsmk )

8.  Family Trend(Lahure)/ Ethnicity
 Dependants
 High payment
 Securing future of 2nd and third generations
 Old generation, lack of resettlement program and
opportunity
 Political purpose
 Lack of Policy
 Unstable political situation in Nepal
 Is this a result of politics or the ethnicity or the skills?

9. - HMG shall not give approval to ; If the person
having qualification demanded by employment
providing institution is required for the economic
development of Nepal
- …the license holder shall not provide foreign
employment to children or to women without the
consent of their guardian
More control over foreign migration

10. Department of Foreign Employment and Foreign Employment Promotion
Board
• Equal Right for Women for Foreign Employment
• Proposition of special reservation on foreign employment for women,
dalits, indigenous people and
ethnic groups, deprived people affected by natural disaster and people living
in remote areas
• Detailed provision regarding licenses for foreign employment agencies.
• Provision for people to process for foreign employment individually
without using the foreign employment agencies.
• Provision of “foreign employment welfare fund” directed to the workers
and their families.
Foreign employment promotion; migration industry?

11. Main Migrants
 Nepal- India open border
 Tibetan refugees, Permanent migrants

12.  1.4 million documented migrants and
undocumented migrants are estimated to be
more than that
 3.5 billion US dollar remittance which
contribute almost 25% of Nepal GDP(world Bank
2010)
 18% decline in absolute poverty in the six
years between 2003/04 and 2009/10 (central
bureau of statistics Nepal)
 BritishGovernment pays £87 million a year
which is 8% of GDP made by remittance (The
Telegraph)

13.  Isit fair to end the Gurkha recruitment? Who
really are the beneficiaries?

14. Nilima Raut
MAINS 2012

15.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6Dg66a
Usmk