Nepal's objection to the Agnipath scheme and its refusal to send its youth for service in the Indian Army has put a 200-year historical legacy in jeopardy. Over the past six years, no new Nepali Gorkhas have been recruited in the Gorkha Regiment. Meanwhile, China is attempting to exploit this situation. In 1809–1814, Maharaja Ranjit Singh first established a battalion of the brave and aggressive Gorkha tribe. The British later adopted this concept. In 1947, under a tripartite agreement with Nepal and Britain, the Indian Army began recruiting Nepali Gorkhas. The Gorkha Regiment includes both Nepali and Indian Gorkhas. Currently, 30,000 Nepali Gorkhas are in active service in the Indian Army, while 90,000 retired soldiers are receiving pensions. The Indian Army has seven Gorkha Regiments and over 40 battalions. With recruitment from Nepal halted, the structure of the Gorkha Regiment is undergoing changes. To fill the gap left by Nepali Gorkhas, the Indian Army has started recruiting soldiers from the Kumaon and Garhwal regions of Uttarakhand. Some retired officers of the Gorkha Regiment fear that allowing non-Gorkhas into the regiment may harm the camaraderie within its units due to the disruption of its ethnic identity.
