The Indian Army’s historic Gurkha Regiment is currently experiencing a significant shortage of Nepalese Gurkha soldiers.
Over the past three years, there has been a shortfall of 10,000 to 12,000 Gurkha soldiers in the Gurkha Regiments of the Indian Army.
This shortage can be attributed to the halt in recruitment rallies after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, which prevented any new recruitments and contributed to the backlog.
In 2022, the Indian Army introduced a new recruitment scheme called Agnipath. However, objections raised by Nepal led to the discontinuation of Gurkhas from joining the Indian Army. As a result, not a single Nepalese Gurkha has been recruited since 2020, further exacerbating the shortage of Gurkha soldiers in the Indian Army over the past three years.
The shortfall of 10,000 to 12,000 Gurkha soldiers is particularly felt in the seven Gorkha Regiments. The Government of India has made efforts to engage in discussions with Nepal to address this issue, but a solution has yet to be reached.
Currently, the Indian Army consists of forty-three units comprising seven Gurkha regiments, totaling approximately 40,000 to 45,000 Gurkha soldiers. Each battalion faces an average shortage of around 250 Gurkha soldiers.
