He said this at an interaction with members of parliament´s State Affairs Committee at army headquarters on Tuesday. [break]
Gurung told the committee that the existing 5,000 vacant positions in the army should be filled immediately, armaments should be updated and infrastructure put in place, according to a committee member.
A top army official present at the meeting later said, "Although recruitment is against the Comprehensive Peace Accord, the army is facing an acute shortage of manpower. Hence the needful has to be done immediately."
Army chief Gurung also said at the interaction that the NA has no policy of investing from its Welfare Fund in profit-making sectors like hydro-power. He informed that the Fund is deposited in commercial banks that offer higher rates of interest, which in turn is being spent on various welfare schemes for the dependents of army personnel and ex-servicemen.
A press statement issued by the NA Directorate of Public Relations said that General Gurung also informed committee members that due to lack of infrastructure and a recruitment halt, the number of female NA personnel has remained static. On the issue of border disputes, the statement said Gurung told the members that the army must be used as a last resort after exploring all political and diplomatic means.
Stating that the NA is a representative and inclusive institution with battalions named after different ethnic groups, Gurung said the army has always served the country as a united force. He also informed members of the need to provide compensation of Rs 21 million to members of the public whose lands have been converted into barracks at various places in the country.
Also speaking on the occasion, Defense Minister Bidya Devi Bhandari voiced the need to mobilize the army in various places including the Chure region. Stating that the ministry is preparing a 10-year master plan for the army, she said the country´s security agency must not be weakened in the name of peace and prosperity. She also said that although there is a need for the army to understand politics, it will never engage in active politics.
During the program, Director General of Military Operations Major General Gaurav Shumsher Rana made a presentation highlighting historical background, the NA organizational structure, the current security situation and the challenges and problems facing the NA, including issues of its democratization and inclusiveness, the statement said.
The committee members held an interaction on the issues of women´s participation in the NA, border security, ethnic-based battalions, recruitment process and access for women and Dalits to higher posts in the NA, among other things. Some 23 Constituent Assembly members, the state ministers for general administration and home, the defense secretary, the State Affairs Committee general secretary and secretary and high-ranking NA officials participated in the program.
akanshya@myrepublica.com
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