NATIONAL 2 -[GORKHA PENSIONS (Spotlight Weekly)]

Disparities Being Bridged

The decision of the U.K. government to raise pensions of retired Gurkha soldiers is a great relief to the retired Gurkhas

By KESHAB POUDEL

For (Retd.) corporal Dil Bahadur Gurung of Pumdi Vumdi Village of Kaski district, sudden increase of pension at a substantial proportion was heart breaking news.

Gurung : Mission achieved

When some of his neighbors informed him about the decision, corporal Gurung, a second world war veteran, did not believe that such a large amount of money would be coming.

"I am now happy that my pension will meet my day to day necessities ," said Gurung. "The British government should make it a regular provision of revising our pensions from time to time as per the inflation."

The beginning of the new millennium has brought good news for about 25,000 ex-Gurkha soldiers who have been demanding increase in their monthly pensions to par with the ex-British counterparts.

Although the British government announced substantial increase in the pensions and gratuities of ex-British Gurkha soldiers, Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen's Organization (GAESO), a powerful group which has been launching agitation demanding equal pension for Gurkhas for the last several years, has asked its members to continue their struggle.

Nepal Ex-servicemen's Organization (NESO), however, has welcomed the decision thanking the British people and the government for mitigating the grievances of ex-British Gurkha soldiers.

"We welcome the decision of the British government to increase the pension and other benefits. We will continue to make peaceful efforts to raise our voices for equal pension and benefits," said Major (Retd.) Dipak Bahadur Gurung, president of NESO.

It took nearly a decade for former Gurkha ex-soldiers to convince the British government that their monthly pension was not adequate to meet their minimum needs. Different Ex-Gurkha soldiers associations have been demanding the same after the restoration of democracy in the country a decade back.

At a time when large number of retired British Gurkha soldiers are agitating with their demands for more pension, British government has announced a new scale of pension increasing one hundreed percent in present pay scale effective from April, 2000.

According to the British Embassy in Kathmandu, as the result of Gurkha pensions and gratuities, substantial increases have been made for all service pensioners. All increases remain related to Indian Army regulations under the terms of Tri-partite Agreement between Nepal, India and the UK.

"The increase will be paid from 1 April 2000. All pensioners will receive a minimum 100 percent increase but some will receive considerably more, reflecting the Indian Government's Fifth Pay Commission's recommendations. The new pension rates will be Nepalese Rs 7043.55 per month for ex-soldiers below Corporal level and Nepalese Rs 23612.80 per month for a Major ( Queen's Gurkha Officer)," the Embassy said, in a press release.

Dead body fo ex-gurkha soldier Balram Rai : Did not die in vain

Pension will continue to be paid immediately after 15 years of services and where appropriate, passed to widows and then to children up to the age of 25 years. Pensions have been examined to take into account, for the first time, of the Indian Government package of welfare benefits in kind available to Indian Army pensioners.

Death in service gratuities for all attributable deaths have been calculated in accordance with awards recently introduced by the Indian Army and have allowed the British Government to bring payments in line with British Army rates. The new rates range from a minimum of NCR 2621846 to NCR 6572426 for a Major (Queen's Gurkha Officer) with effect from 26 May 1999.

The examination is not subject to further negotiation. However Gurkha pensions and gratuities will continue to be reviewed in the normal way and will benefit from cost of living increase each year. Indeed these new pension rates will be enhanced in line with cost of living increase in 2000, the embassy said.