RNA demands 17,000 more personnel

December 3, 2004
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December 3, 2004

KATHMANDU:  The Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) has sought permission from the government to add 17,000 more positions in its rank ‘in view of increased security need in the country,’ reports said.

If the government accepts its latest proposal-the number of RNA personnel will double over a period of last three years and roughly equal to that of civil servants in the country-reports said.

The Finance Ministry is considering a proposal sent to it by the Defense Ministry to add 17,000 new positions in the RNA, according to reports.

If the government okays the proposal, the RNA strength will increase to over 95,000– up from around 45,000 just three years ago-when the army was first mobilised to combat the Maoist rebels (in November 2001).

The government is also considering a proposal– said to be backed by major donors in the country– to limit the number of civil servants to 80,000-down from over 100,000 at present.

When contacted by Nepalnews Friday, spokesman of the RNA. Brigadier General Dipak Gurung, said the Army now had added responsibility as the government had authorized it to maintain security in the country.

“The RNA has approached the government as per the need to provide security,” he said. He didn’t provide details.

Friday’s Kantipur daily has quoted sources as saying that the RNA has demanded a budget of Rs 6.78 billion to add 17,000 more positions in its rank. Of this, the RNA has proposed to recruit 13,000 more soldiers to set up 93 military posts, 173 personnel for the security of the capital and 3,700 soldiers to provide security to industrial sector.

Security officials maintain that they need around Rs 300,000 to recruit and train a soldier and then need Rs 100,000 per head for their upkeep every year. “75 percent of the budget allocated by the government to the RNA is spent in upkeeping of the security personnel and rest 25 percent to buy ammunitions,” a senior security source told Nepalnews. “We don’t have any money left to procure new equipment, helicopters etc,” he said.

The source said that the RNA needed to expand its strength as the rebels had also expanded their strength from four districts in the beginning to all over the country now. “There is a criticism against us that the RNA is confined to the district headquarters only. With the additional manpower and resources, we can launch counter-insurgency operations in a much more effective way,” he added.

The Royal Nepalese Army heads the “unified command” that includes its own soldiers, 18,000-strong armed police force and nearly 10,000 policemen deputed from the Nepal Police.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba said Thursday that the government would have to further increase security expenses, at the cost of development expenditure, if the Maoist rebels don’t agree to sit for peace talks.

According to a study conducted last year by National Peace Campaign, a non-governmental organisation, security expenses in the country have increased by 300 percent over the last five years.

Critics say significant increase in the strength of the security force could be unsustainable over the period of time and may also have socio-political implications.