INDIA NEPAL RELATION

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Nepal has raised concern over the recruitment of Gorkhas in the Indian Army under the ‘Agnipath scheme’.
The Foreign Minister of Nepal has informed India’s ambassador in Nepal that the recruitment of Gorkhas under the Agnipath scheme does not fit with provisions of the tripartite agreement signed by Nepal, India and Britain in 1947.
- Recruitment of Gorkhas from Nepal started in the British Indian army after the Treaty of Sagauli (1816) between the government of Nepal and the British East India Company.
  - It became a tripartite arrangement in 1947 after India became independent and Gorkhas in Nepal were given a choice to serve in the Indian Army or go to the United Kingdom.
- The Foreign Minister of Nepal has mentioned that the Nepal government will take a final decision after consulting with political parties and all stakeholders.

India-Nepal Relation

Nepal is an important neighbour of India and occupies a special significance in its foreign policy because of the geographic, historical, cultural and economic linkages/ties that span centuries.
India and Nepal share similar ties in terms of Hinduism and Buddhism with Buddha’s birthplace Lumbini located in present-day Nepal.
The India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950 forms the bedrock of the special relations that exist between India and Nepal.
India is Nepal’s largest trade partner and the largest source of foreign investments, besides providing transit for almost the entire third-country trade of Nepal.
India-Nepal has undertaken various connectivity programs to enhance people-to-people linkages and promote economic growth and development.
Bilateral defence cooperation includes assistance to the Nepalese Army in its modernization through the provision of equipment and training.
India has signed three sister-city agreements for twinning Kathmandu-Varanasi, Lumbini-Bodhgaya and Janakpur-Ayodhya.