British Gurkhas
Nepal
What We Do
Our aim is to deliver Gurkha recruitment, provide local support to the soldier and ex-servicemen and maintain Disaster Relief preparedness within resources in order to support Firm Base activity in Nepal in accordance with UK Defence Strategy.
Recruitment
The British Gurkha Camp in Pokhara is the focal point for all recruiting activities in Nepal. A very large number of interested individuals causes considerable competition for the relatively few places. The standards looked for are extremely high and the process is very demanding.
Selection of only the very best candidates and insistence on the highest standards is a direct reflection of the challenging circumstances in which British soldiers may find themselves.
Final selection is determined by a number of physical and mental assessments, which demonstrate the potential of an individual to be trained as a soldier in the Brigade of Gurkhas.
New webpages relating to Gurkha Recruiting for 2019 will go live early May 2018 on this website.
Serving Soldier Welfare
Service welfare hinges on investigating the need for compassionate leave in the absence of an effective civilian infrastructure. The welfare process also incorporates any need to address such issues as marital harmony and land disputes.
This is overseen by the Brigade and Unit Welfare Officer (BUWO) and his staff who are based in BGN, Man Bhawan, Jawalakhel, Kathmandu. (Telephone: +97714235 Ext 229).
In general terms, all requests for Compassionate leave by a serviceman's family should be reported to their nearest Area Welfare Centre, except for those in Kathmandu Valley who should report occurrences to the BUWO. The authority for compassionate travel is Joint Casualty and compassionate Cell in accordance with procedures contained in JSP 751.
EX-SERVICEMANS WELFARE
Welfare support for ex-servicemen is provided by the Gurkha Welfare Scheme (GWS) which is the field arm of the UK based charity, the Gurkha Welfare Trust (GWT). The GWT aims to alleviate hardship and poverty amongst ex-servicemen and their widows, many whom due to relatively short war service or redundancy in the 60s do not have a Service Pension.
The Gurkha Welfare Scheme (GWS) is the field arm of the Gurkha Welfare Trust (GWT), a UK based charity. The GWS is based in Pokhara and is run on a day-to-day basis by the Field Director GWS and his staff. GWS is represented in the hills by 21 Area Welfare Centres spread across the traditional recruiting areas, as well as on Centre in Darjeeling, India.
BRITISH GURKHAS NEPAL PENSION PAYMENTS
Currently, there are 3 ways a pension can be paid:
- Directly into a bank account.
- By cash at one of the pension paying offices.
- By cash at one of the Area Welfare Centres (AWCs).
From April 2005 all new service pensioners had to receive their pensions through the bank.
If you require assistance or have a query about your pension, your first point of contact should be one of the 3 pension payment information officers (PPIOs). The PPIOs are located at your pension paying office. If they are unable to answer your questions they will liase directly with SPVA to pursue your enquiry. Contact details for the PIO in your area:
PPIO Kathmandu Tel: 01 5523725 PPIO
Pokhara Tel: 061 440474 Ext 252 PPIO
Dharan Tel: 025 531992
