Pokhara, August 19
Indian Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth has pledged that the Indian Army will continue to provide support for the welfare, healthcare and other facilities of former Indian soldiers living in Nepal.
Addressing former Indian soldiers and their families at a pension camp in Pokhara on Wednesday, Seth described ex-servicemen as “living representatives” of India-Nepal relations.
Paying tribute to the contributions of Gorkha soldiers who served in the Indian Army, Seth said their welfare remained the responsibility of the Indian Army.
“We will do everything possible with full sincerity and dedication for your welfare and facilities,” he said. “You should never feel that you are alone. The Indian Army will always stand with you.”
More health facilities planned
Seth said efforts would be made to provide additional medical equipment to the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) polyclinic in Pokhara.
He said the Indian Army would also work to further equip the polyclinic with modern medical facilities.
Seth said the demand from former soldiers for a bus service from Sunauli to Gorakhpur was also being considered seriously.
He said efforts were underway to provide the service, which would make it easier for former soldiers to access ECHS and other healthcare facilities.
The ECHS scheme has been operating in Nepal since 2014, providing healthcare services to former Indian soldiers and their families at hospitals in Nepal and India.
Seth said efforts were also underway to expand the number of hospitals enlisted under the scheme.
He also highlighted the recently established ECHS polyclinic in Kohalpur, which is intended to serve former soldiers and their families in western Nepal.
“I dedicate this new polyclinic, on behalf of the Indian Army, to all former soldiers and their families in Nepal,” he said.
Seth said various district soldier boards were providing vocational training to families of former soldiers in areas including computer skills, beauty care and fashion designing.
Following an agreement with Meghavi Skills University in Sikkim, certificates issued after completing the training will be recognised nationally and internationally, he said.
‘India-Nepal ties go beyond being neighbours’
Seth said India-Nepal relations were centuries old and went beyond the relationship between two neighbouring countries.
The relationship, he said, was rooted in shared culture, traditions, religious beliefs and history.
He described the special relationship between the Indian and Nepali armies as an important part of those historic ties.
Praising the bravery, courage, loyalty and sacrifice of Gorkha soldiers, Seth said they had displayed exceptional courage in every war and challenge faced by the Indian Army.
Five priorities for Indian Army
Seth also outlined the five priorities he has set for the Indian Army since taking charge as army chief.
They are vigilance and preparedness, innovation and transformation, jointness, self-reliance and warriors.
Seth said he considered everyone serving in the Indian Army—from its youngest soldier to its most senior former serviceman—as a “warrior”.
“From the junior-most soldier to the most senior former soldier sitting before me, everyone is a warrior in my vocabulary,” he said. “The Indian Army is proud of all these warriors.”
He reiterated the Indian Army’s commitment to continuing its support for the welfare and facilities of former Indian soldiers in Nepal.
Seth concluded his address by thanking the former soldiers and their families, ending with the slogan, “Jai Hind, Jai Nepal, Jai Bhupu.”
